My Other Half
by Neondaze
Summary: [Highschool AU] In her dying breath, Rose's (FemMU) adopted mother informs her of Robin, her twin brother who was separated at birth. Out of desperation, grief, & no other family to turn to, Rose goes to Ylisse Private Academy to reunite with Robin. Along the way, she becomes friends with various other students & gets caught up in school events. Chapter 20: Road trip begins!
1. My life begins a new

She was drenched from head to toe, as her white pigtails clumped to her face. She wasn't sure if it was the water from the wildly pouring rain outside or the salty tears that streamed down her face. Her shoes sloshed with every step she took as she breathed hollow breaths entering the hospital room.

"Rose my dear... please come in." A lady in her 40's coughed.

"Mama..." She cried as she ran toward the bed in tears.

"Rose, please don't cry for me." She smiled. "You're too beautiful for that."

"But... I don't know what I'll do without you..."

"You are a young and smart girl, you can do anything you put your heart and mind too child." She smiled as she lovingly stroked Rose's cheek. "Sing me one last song dear..."

Rose nodded, tears still streaming down her face, as a soft but strong voice bellowed through the room.

_ "Flowers bloom in the springtime _  
><em>Oh, summer unfolds in the sky<em>  
><em>They're engraved and sparkling <em>  
><em>Deep in my heart where I want to sing<em>

_Rain falls in the morning so _  
><em>I will have to close my window<em>  
><em>But the overflowing light <em>  
><em>From above the clouds is still so bright<em>

_Joy and sorrow _  
><em>I hold them close <em>  
><em>While I walk down every single road<em>  
><em>They are things that firmly <em>  
><em>Join our hands closely <em>  
><em>Together we're never alone<em>

_Autumn's at the waterside _  
><em>Winter lurks at the treetops so high<em>  
><em>There's a kindness in the world<em>  
><em>So deep it hasn't yet been unfurled<em>

_Every time when the night comes _  
><em>Let's offer a prayer everyone<em>  
><em>Let us quietly greet <em>  
><em>The new day we are about to meet<em>

_A voice calls out _  
><em>From far away <em>  
><em>It guides me, it guides me even to this day<em>  
><em>As if it is smiling <em>  
><em>If it is singing <em>  
><em>It's echoing inside the wind<em>

_Joy and sorrow _  
><em>I hold them close <em>  
><em>While I walk down every single road<em>  
><em>They are things that firmly <em>  
><em>Join our hands closely <em>  
><em>Together we're never alone."<em>

"Ah, that's my favorite song... you know me so well." The lady smiled softly, slowly closing her eyes. "You are so kind to me Rose, I'm so blessed to have a child like you."

"Don't talk like that... I don't want to be all alone again..."

"You won't be... sweet child... you've always known that you're adopted, I've always been upfront with that fact."

"-And you've loved me even more so than any biological mother would her own child! I'm so thankful for that." Rose choked, as she clutched her mother's hand tightly. "You're the best mother anyone could ask for!"

"You are too sweet..." She coughed. "There is one thing that I've never told you though... You have a brother."

"A brother...?"

"Yes, not just a brother but a twin. I would have taken you both in together, but he was adopted long before I came across you."

"What do you know about him?" Rose inquired, a sudden fire for information sparked.

"His name is Robin..." She coughed once more. Her breaths became irregular and shallow.

"Robin..."

"He goes to Ylisse High school..."

"Mother? Please don't leave me...i don't want to be alone again!"

"Rose... I love you..."

"I-I love you too Mama, please don't go!" Rose pleaded, sensing that she was about to draw her last breath. She was met with no response, as she hurriedly measured her pulse. "No... Nonononooo...!" She wailed, her voice hoarse from her uncontrollable weeping.

* * *

><p>Rose woke up in a cold sweat, breathing heavily in fright. She swiftly got out of bed and went into the bathroom. She splashed her face with cold water, and then observed her swollen puffy eyes in the mirror, probably from crying in her sleep.<p>

"Get yourself together... you have to be strong. You have to find Robin." She whispered to herself, she clutched the star shaped locket that she wore at all times. Holding it seemed to give her a surge of strength whenever she needed it. So much for her first night on campus in her new dorm at Ylisse Academy. Rose was hoping that starting fresh would help with her anxieties but that theory seemed to fail miserably. She was currently the only occupying the dorm; her roommate wouldn't arrive until later, as she was a resident of Ferox, which probably meant a ways to travel. Since classes at the private academy didn't officially start until tomorrow, she figured that she could at least head down for breakfast and explore the campus. She threw on some casual clothes and headed out the door. The hallways of the girl's dormitory were pretty quiet, but that was to be expected of this early hour. Her head still pounding a bit from her abrupt awakening, she headed toward the cafeteria to get some food in her.

"Woah..." Rose murdered to herself. She entered the rather luscious cafeteria, and was met with marble flooring, an elegant chandelier, and tables. "What kind of school is this?" She wasn't use to this kind of scenery. To be honest, she lived a quiet, modest and frugal life with her adopted mother, but it was a happy one none the less. Something this extravagant would take some getting use to. She eagerly grabbed a rather expensive looking plate, and went to the self serve buffet and generously piled food onto her plate. She was bit of a glutton, and she had no problem with it, so why hide it? She swiped her ID card when it was time to pay, and quickly seated herself and eagerly took her first bite of pancakes. "MHMMMM, this is really good!" She thought to herself and sighed. She noticed that everyone else was sitting with friends, laughing and having a good time, probably sharing stories about their summers. "I guess this is how it's going to be for a while. Sucks being the new kid..." She thought, scarfing down the rest of her breakfast. "No! I can't mope like this! I gotta stay positive, I came here for a reason!" She nodded to herself. "I know how to cheer myself up..."

* * *

><p>"Damn..." She murmured to herself, mouth agape in surprise. This had to be the most expansive library she'd ever seen. It easily took up the whole floor of the school building, and the building of Ylisse Academy was pretty damn big. Rose didn't know what made her drool more; the spread at the cafeteria or the one she was currently viewing at the library. All she knew was that she was in heaven! Without a second though she ran over to different sections and grabbed as many books as she could carry and checked them out. She then exited the library and went out to the court yard. The sun shone brightly, summer still raged on despite being the end of August. Rose couldn't help but admire the luscious greenery of the courtyard. Ylisse Academy seemed to spare no expense to make the school look as wonderful as possible. She then suddenly spotted a tree nearby a colorful flower garden. "Looks like I figured out what I'm going to do today!" She sang cheerfully as she sat down in front of the grand oak tree. "Let's see, let's start with my favorite topic..." she smiled as she opened up the rather old and large book and began to read ravenously. After an hour or so, she couldn't help but feel her eyelids get super heavy as she peacefully drifted to sleep.<p>

"...we have to do something." Suggested a rather cheery high pitched voice.

"What do you propose we do?" A lower calmer voice questioned.

Rose slowly began to open her eyes, her view was still a bit fuzzy and readjusting to the light. She managed to decipher two blurry figures.

"U-Uh, I don't know!" They both suddenly turned toward Rose, as she began to awake.

"I see you're awake now." A taller guy with navy blue hair observed. He wore a slate tank that showed off his rather built features.

"Hey there!" The cheery voice was now a petite blonde girl with two high pigtails. Her sun dress was a shade of yellow that was as bright as her smile.

"There are better places to take a nap than on the ground you know." He smirked, there was something about his charismatic smile that made Rose felt at ease. His comment was met with a slight giggle from the blonde girl beside him. "Give me your hand."

"Thank you..." Rose nodded, as she took him up on his offer. He swiftly pulled her up from off the ground with little effort at all. Rose guessed that his rather built physique wasn't just for show. Her eyes couldn't help but linger at his pale blue eyes for a few seconds until she nervously broke eye contact, realizing how rude of her it was to stare.

"Ah, how rude of me, my name is Chrom."

"I'm his sister Lissa!" She introduced enthusiastically. "You were there snoozing for some time now! We could hear your snoring from across the courtyard!"

"Ahaha... sorry about that..." She chuckled, as bit embarrassed.

"Don't worry about it too much, I don't really blame you. It's such a nice day." Chrom chuckled along with her and took a quick glance at the half open book. "I'm guessing you're really into music theory? That book isn't for beginners. I play the violin myself."

"Yeah, the library here is so huge, and I couldn't help myself."

"I'm guess you're new then?"

"Yeah, how'd you know?"

"Everyone practically has that reaction when they first enter the school." Lissa laughed.

"Plus I don't think I've ever seen you hear before... don't tell me you're that scholarship student everyone's talking about?" Chorm inquired.

"If you're talking about the scholarship for free meals, tuition, and board then yeah... that's me." Rose confirmed awkwardly.

"Oh man no way!" Lissa exclaimed.

"Haha... yeah way." Rose sheepishly smiled.

"Well congratulations, and on behalf of Ylisse Academy, welcome!"

"Thank you!" Rose said, a hint of embarrassment in her voice. Suddenly a peppy ringtone could be heard.

"Oh that's me!" Lissa cheered whimsically as she pulled out a cell phone and checked her text messages. "Freddy says he's waiting for us to take care of those errands."

"Right, we should get on that right away." Chrom agreed. "It was nice meeting you-...?"

"Rose... my name is Rose."

"Rose... that's a really wonderful name. It suits you." Chrom smiled gently.

"Rose, Rose! Let's exchange numbers okay!" Lissa jumped eagerly.

"uhhhh... my phone recently broke." She informed sheepishly. Truthfully she didn't have one, she could never afford it.

"Oh okay, well when you get a new one we have to exchange numbers!"

"Well, we must be off then. See you later Rose." Chrom waved.

"Bye bye Rosy!" Lissa practically skipped joyfully along, following alongside their brother.

Rose merely waved shyly, glad that she was able to mingle with some of the students. She felt a bit less like an outsider. She decided to read a bit more until she noticed that the sun was starting to set. "Guess I better head back to the dorms."


	2. Dinner with the ladies

Rose sighed as she turned the nob of her dorm room. She had spent most of her day reading, and even made some new friends, which she was grateful for. Wait... was that music she was hearing? She could have sworn that she turned everything off before she left...

There in the center in the room was a gracefully dancing girl. Her long pink trestles were tied in a pony tail, and flowed elegantly as the girl moved to the beat of the music.

"O-oh no... you didn't see all of that did you?" The girl squeaked nervously, her face flushed.

"I only say the latter half..." Rose informed apologetically. "-But it was really good!"

"Aw you're just saying that."

"N-no I really mean it because..." she started, then running to one of her suitcases, and pulled out a pair of ballet shoes. "I dance too!"

"Really! That's great, I'm really relieved. My name is Olivia by the way. I'm glad we have something in common."

"Name's Rose, it's really nice to meet you. I guess you're my roommate right? I'm pretty sure I locked the door before I left so that's the only explanation for why you're here haha." Rose chuckled.

"Ah yeah, I got here a few hours ago, but no one was here." Olivia nodded.

"So Olivia, I saw that you were belly dancing earlier; what other types of dances do you know?"

"Oh I do a little of practically everything, but belly dancing is my favorite. I find it very liberating." She smiled.

"Neat, I started with ballet myself, but I also dance tap, jazz, swing, ballroom, hip-hop, modern... but I've never done belly dancing before."

"I could um...teach you if you liked. I could always use a dance partner." Olivia asked shyly.

"Oh wow, that would be great! Thanks!" Rose smiled, which was returned with a coy one from Olivia. The conversation was suddenly interrupted by a loud growl.

"Aw man, I'm starving! I haven't had anything since breakfast." Rose laughed.

"It's okay I hadn't had anything myself for a few hours and it's already 7pm, maybe we should get dinner?"

"I'm totally on board with that." Rose was practically drooling with anticipation as she grabbed her ID card and started to head out the door. Olivia grabbed her purse and followed.

Rose once again was in the lavish dining hall, and could easily catch a whiff of all the dinner entrees being served. Her stomach growled in excitement.

"We better hurry before your stomach eats itself. I can hear it all the way from here." Olivia laughed.

"Aw man, I'm so ready to eat, you don't even know!" Rose grinned cheerfully as they reached the line for the dinner buffet. There was salads, and mash potatoes, macaroni and cheese, various meats, and piles upon piles of other dinner dishes. Rose quickly filled her plate and paid along with Olivia.

"Rosy Posy! Over here!" A familiar voice called.

Rose turned to see signature blonde pigtails and a bright smile. "Oh Lissa!"

"You know Lissa Exalt...?" Olivia gasped.

"Yeah, I just met her earlier today, why?"

"She's super popular, and her sister is a pretty well known politician. Even excluding that, her family's super rich."

Rose could tell that Olivia was quite shy, in stark contrast with Lissa naturally outgoing nature. "Don't worry everything's fine, Lissa wouldn't hurt a fly. Come on, I'll introduce you to her." She reassured, as she pulled Olivia along playfully.

"Hey Lissa." Rose waved as she took a seat. Olivia shyly took a seat net to her.

"Hi! Who's your friend?"

"This is Olivia, she's my roommate!"

"Pleasure to meet you." Olivia blushed.

"Oh hey, I'm Lissa!" She giggled.

"Lissa Dearie, do you intend to keep your acquittances in the dark from the rest of us?" A rather elegant girl with blonde corkscrew curls with pink bows inquired.

"Oh right! Olivia, Rose, this is my best friend Maribelle!"

"I'm delightfully charmed." Maribelle greeted. "Any friend of my darling Lissa is a friend of mine."

"This over here is Sumia, Cordelia, and Cherche."

Rose was met with a greeting from each girl. "They all seem friendly enough" She smiled to herself.

"Woah Rose! That's a lot of food, I bet that's around the amount Stahl would have taken." Lissa said in awe.

"Stahl...?

"Rumor says he has three stomachs..." Sumia whispered.

"The amount he eats is practically an urban legend here." Cherche added on.

"I heard he ate 100 pies at the pie eating contest at the last school festival." Olivia agreed.

" I HEARD HE ATE A HORSE." Lissa exclaimed.

"He better not get near my sweetie Minvera then!" Cherche snapped defensively.

"Lissa, I think you misheard... someone probably said that he eats _LIKE_ a horse." Cordelia corrected.

"Awwww... well that's not as fun..." Lissa pouted.

"Now now, I don't think it's very polite to compare Rose here to that gluttonous brute." Maribelle chided.

"Meh, it's not a big deal, I've kinda just excepted that I eat a lot. I dance a lot to burn it off anyway." Rose shrugged, as she stuffed a fork-full of mashed potatoes in her mouth.

"Oh so you dance like Olivia?" Suma questioned in delight.

"How did you know I dance?" Olivia asked in surprise.

"How could I not? You were amazing last year on the dance team! They don't let just anyone join you know. Plus I kind of admire you... you're so graceful and light on your feet... heehee." Sumia laughed bashfully.

"Yeah, you're pretty clumsy Sumia." Cordelia smiled. "Especially around Chrom..."

"N-no I... I don't know what you're talking about." Sumia stuttered nervously.

"Sumia please, it is no secret that you're literally head over heals for him." Maribelle nodded.

"W-well, what about Cordelia, it's soooo oblivious that you have a thing for him too!" Sumia retorted, desperately trying to shift attention away from herself.

"What?!" Cordelia murmured shyly.

"Yeah! You totally babble nervously around him." Sumia pointed out.

"No I-..."

"I really don't get what you girls see in my brother, he's such a dork!" Lissa interrupted with a roll of her eyes.

"He did seem kind of princely..." Rose thought to herself. She wasn't really surprised that Chrom was popular with the ladies.

"So Rose, what's your focus?" Maribelle inquired.

"Focus?" Rose said quizzically.

"Yeah, everyone has a special talent that they were accepted into the school for." Lissa informed "Mine is fashion design! I make lots of clothes."

"I dance... as you already know." Olivia nodded.

"I'm a great with animals. I'm planning to become a veterinarian." Cherche piped in.

"I'm a photographer." Sumia smiled.

"Sumia's nature photography is quite exquisite." Maribelle nodded. "My focus is jewelry design."

"Maribelle has a very keen eye for jewels."Cordelia explained.

"Cordelia is pretty much good at everything!" Sumia giggled.

"Ah, no, I just... like to be above average." Cordelia said sheepishly. "I do focus a lot on debate though."

"So what's your's?" Lissa asked with excitement.

"To be honest... I don't really know..." Rose said solemnly. "I took the entrance exam, and then when I got the results back they gave me this huge scholarship..."

"Well, this academy rarely gives out scholarships, let alone accepts new students out of the blue like you, so I'm sure your focus is something fantastic!" Lissa reassured.

"Thank you Lissa." Rose smiled, it was hard for her to lie to her new friends like this. She knew well what her talent was, but... she didn't want to engage in it anymore. It hurt to much to, it may have gotten her into this school, but it was something that brought her more despair from it's memories than happiness. "Wow, I'm stuffed! I think it's about time to head back to the dorms and rest. Classes start tomorrow after all, haha."

"I'll head back with you, I still need to unpack some things." Olivia added.

"Well it was nice meeting you Rose." Sumia smiled.

"Yeah, hopefully we'll have some classes together." Cordelia agreed.

"Yep! See you guys tomorrow!" Rose waved as she walked off with Olivia.

"They were really nice..." Olivia finally said as they entered their dorm.

"See! Lissa is friendly. So of course her friends would be the same." Rose nodded. She walked up to her bed. The room was more like a small loft. Olivia had the ground floor, while a small set of stairs led to a platform with Rose's bed. The sides of the platform acted as draws and other forms of storage room.

"Yeah, she was really nice." Olivia agreed as she began to attend to open various boxes filled with her personal items. Rose yawned a bit, her bed was super comfy and that large meal was starting to take it's toll.

"Say Olivia..." Rose began. "Do you know anyone that goes by the name Robin at this school?"

"Hmmm... can't say I have. Although to be honest, I'm really not that friendly with anyone in this school yet. Since last year, my freshman year, I was a bit too scared to really talk to anyone."

"Oh no, it's okay, don't worry about it." She yawned, man were her eyes starting to get really heavy.

A silent moment went by as Olivia continued to unpack and organize her things.

"Rose... I know this may be a bit early to say since we just met today, but I'm really glad that you're my roommate. Last year, my roommate was honestly pretty mean, so I'm glad to be sharing a room with someone as nice and kind as you..." She smiled. "Rose...?"

Olivia was only met by the rather loud snoring of her roommate, and giggled in response. She walked up to Rose's bed, and gently covered her with a nearby blanket on her desk. "Sleep well..." she smiled.


	3. We're going downtown

"Rose... wake up..."

"W-what time is it...? Rose groaned. "Oh no, I forgot to set an alarm yesterday night, I'm late!"

"No it's okay, I woke up and showered early, so you have plenty of time." Olivia informed. "You fell asleep pretty early last night, so I thought that you could use the rest."

"Oh gods, thank you Olivia!" She sighed. "I'll go get ready."

"Okay, I'll just wait here and we can get breakfast together. I have to sort out my bag anyway."

Rose nodded as she entered the bathroom. She quickly took a shower, grateful for the refreshing warm bath and brushed her teeth.

"I didn't find Robin at all yesterday... I mean, it's only been one day, hopefully he'll be in one of my classes today..." Rose thought as she tied her hair into her signature pigtails. She pulled out her school uniform which consisted of a navy blue blazer and a plaid pleated skirt, and admired the Yissle school emblem stitched onto her blazer.

"Looking good!" Olivia smiled as Rose exited the bathroom.

"Not too bad yourself!" Rose giggled as she grabbed her floral printed knapsack. "You ready for breakfast?"

"Yep! Let's go."

* * *

><p>"Rose, good morning."<p>

"Oh Chrom, morning." Rose greeted as she took a seat at the table.

"I see you're friends with Miss. Olivia?" Chrom inquired.

"Ah, you know my name?" Olivia stuttered.

"Of course, your dances are fantastic. I also make an effort to learn everyone's names being student council present and all." He smiled.

"Everyone in school?"

"Yes, its something of a goal for me. It's not that big of a school, but none the less I want to make everyone welcomed."

"So that's why he was so eager to meet me yesterday." Rose thought to herself, although, Chrom seemed to be an outgoing guy by nature.

"Oh I never got a chance to ask, what are your schedules like?" Olivia asked. The three then put pieces of paper together as they compared what each of their days were like.

"Well, we're all in the same homeroom." Chrom observed. "We're in the same block too Rose."

"Block...?" Rose questioned.

"For Math, science, english, and history, students are put into small chunks of classes that the school assigns them to. The rest of the classes are electives where students can choose what classes they take." Chrom explained. "Today is suppose to be main block subjects and tomorrow is electives and we switch each day."

"Oh right, I think they told me something like that when I registered." Rose murmured. "I guess we aren't in the same block then Olivia."

"But we have lunch, and Ballet together." She smiled cheerfully. "I'm looking forward to that."

"Me too!" Rose grinned. "You have a pretty interesting schedule though Chrom. Orchestra, fencing, advance music theory... model government...? What's that?"

"It's basically a class where you learn about how different governments work, and have to act as diplomats."

"Oh sounds interesting." She then looked over at Olivia's schedule and skimmed it. "Chorus...? I didn't know you sang too Olivia."

"Yeah, I'm not that good at it so I don't really talk about it much."

"I still think it's neat!" Rose smiled as she took a bite of her muffin. Suddenly the bell rang signaling the start of classes.

"Well, it's time to get going." Chrom said as he got up from his seat. "Do you need help getting anywhere? I know this school is pretty big despite not having a massive amount of students and it can get pretty easy to get lost. If you need help with anything, I'll be there."

"Thanks a lot, I think I'll take you up on that offer." Rose smiled.

The three students then nonchalantly walked to class. Chrom and Olivia pointed out various landmarks in the school to help Rose get better acquainted until they reached the classroom.

"Well here we are, homeroom." Chrom announced. "There are a lot events that are going to be happening this first month, so it might be a bit overwhelming."

"Chrom, how was your summer?" One boy with a bronze newspaper boy cap greeted. Rose couldn't help but notice his strong country accent.

"Yeah man, you gotta tell the teach all about it!" A rather tan blond guy approached as he gave Chrom a slight slap on the shoulder.

"If you'll excuse me ladies, I'll talk to you later." Chrom smiled.

"Okay, later." Rose agreed. Olivia took a seat somewhere in the middle, and Rose followed.

"It seems Chrom is pretty fond of you." Olivia whispered.

"He's just one of those charismatic leader types, probably just helping me out of his sense of duty as student council president." Rose waved her off indifferently.

"I don't know... I hear some rumors that he's a real Casanova. He sweeps girls off their feet without even trying." Olivia giggled.

Before Rose could respond, a rather pretty woman walked into the room. She had long green hair tied into a high ponytail and a kind smile. " Good morning everyone. Glad to see everyone is so energetic today. I'm your homeroom teacher Ms. Tiki." She began. "As you may know, I'm also the principal of the school, but I also make time to teach home economics as well. We have a lot of stuff to talk about, so let's take attendance and I'll start making announcements. Oh before I begin, is Rose here?"

"Yes, that would be me."

"Ah, class, I would like to introduce you to the new student here at Ylisse academy, it's pretty rare that we get new students outside of freshman, so I would like you to welcome her with open arms." Tiki smiled. "Now on with attendance."

Rose listened intently as Tiki read out all of the students in the class. Her heart nearly sank as no mention of Robin was made. "It's okay Rose, he's probably just not in this class." She reassured herself.

"Okay, time to-..."

"Ma'am, you didn't call my name..."

"Who said that?" Tiki questioned, scanning the room.

"It's me , Kellam." A guy with a haircut resembling a bowl cut said.

"Oh, of course Kellam, I'm so sorry. I'll mark you down right now. Sorry about that."

Rose couldn't help but wonder how anyone could miss a guy so huge and bulky...

* * *

><p>Rose sighed as the last bell of the day rang. She went through all her block classes, and Robin wasn't even called during attendance. There was always the electives.<p>

"Feeling tired already?" Chrom asked skeptically as he approached Rose.

"Oh uh, yeah, all that math and science is starting to get to me." she answered quickly trying to mask her disappointment with upbeat exuberance.

"We could always form a study group." He suggested. "It is a lot of information to digest."

"Can I join too?" A smiling white haired boy inquired. "Sorry for eavesdropping, but I'm pretty good at science." Rose couldn't shake the feeling that something was... off about him. He was smiling from ear to ear, but it seemed odd. She couldn't put her finger on it just yet.

"Oh Henry, of course." Chrom nodded. "I'll see if Freddrick, Sumia, Cordelia or any of the others want to join too."

"Mhmmm, thank you so much Chrom."

"Also..." He said, his voice quieting a bit pulling her a bit off to the side. "If there's anything bothering you at all, don't hesitate to reach out to me, this school can be kind of stressful and hectic sometimes."

"Awww... thank you so much, don't worry about me though, I'm just starving!" She laughed, as she playful stretched her limbs. "Anyway I'll catch you later!"

"Take care." He nodded, as he watched her grab her things and leave the room.

Rose yawned as she looked at a nearby clock. It was about 3:30, and dinner didn't start until about 6pm. She wasn't really hungry anyway, she was just desperate not to worry Chrom about her real problems. What was there to do here anyway? It was the first day of classes so there wasn't too much homework assigned if any and she had another day or so to get it done. Just then her thoughts were disturbed by a familiar voice.

"Rose..."

"Oh Tharja..." She replied, she looked at the rather pale raven haired girl from her creative writing class. "Is there anything I could help you with?"

"I was just wondering if you wanted to go somewhere with me. Perhaps the bookstore in town?"

"Uh sure, I've never been in town yet anyway. I would love to."

"Heeheehee... excellent, just as planned..." Tharja chuckled darkly.

"Uh, are you okay...?

"Never better dear Rose. I'll show you the way, follow me."

Tharja lead Rose out of the school building and out past the gates of the schoolyard. This would be her first time exploring the area around the campus.

"How long does it take to get into town?" Rose questioned.

"Not too long, we're almost there actually..."

Just as Tharja estimated their distance, they entered a bustling town square. There were various shops and cafes, and even a small movie theater.

"Wow, this is pretty neat." Rose smiled.

"The bookstore I over here." Tharja pointed, as Rose followed swiftly. A bell chimed as they entered, and cashier greeted them graciously.

"So Tharja... what kind of books do you like?"

"To be honest I'll read anything if I'm bored. My favorites are romance..."

"That's a bit unexpected."

"-and horror... heh heh heh..." She laughed darkly.

"Why am I not surprised?" Rose thought.

"What types of books do you read?" Tharja asked.

"Well, I read anything interesting that I can get my hands on. I like books on war tactics, music, mystery novels, but I also like comics... It's a bit embarrassing to admit, but I also like those cheesy Shoujo mangas...haha."

"Y-you like reading those too?" Tharja stuttered.

"Yeah, they're kind of cute." Rose laughed softly.

"Which one's do you read?"

"Lately I've been reading Blue Spring Ride, Hana Kimi, and Beauty Pop is great too!"

The two chatted merrily about different series that they each read. At one point Tharja even cracked a genuine smile. Without so much as a glance at the clock, an hour passed of the two girls just idly talking. They purchased their books and began to walk back to the campus. Rose giggled quietly to herself.

"What's so funny?" Tharja asked.

"Oh, it's just that when you smiled earlier it was really cute!" Rose grinned.

"Huh?" She blushed, her face turning beet red.

"You don't seem like the type to smile from the bottom of your heart too often, so I feel sort of special to see it myself."

Thank you... I've never gotten such a compliment before..."

"You're welcome, you deserve it."

A brief moment of silence fell upon the two before Tharja broke it once more.

"Rose..."

"Hmmm-...MMMMPHH?" Rose then turned toward Tharja, and before she could even comprehend what was going on, Tharja pressed her pale lips against her's.

"Heehee..." Tharja giggled, this time there wasn't a shred of darkness in her voice, it was one of pure jubilee.

"Tharja what's gotten into you?!" Rose snapped as she pushed her away.

Tharja merely smiled, as she turned away from Rose, and ran the rest of the way back to campus in glee.

"THARJA!" She yelled, but it was no use, she was already out of sight. Rose merely sighed, that girl sure could run when she needed to. As she continued her walk back to the dorms, she couldn't help but force back tears of distress. "...that was my first kiss... gone."


	4. Waiting out the Storm

"Good morning Rose."

"Morning Chrom."

"You don't look so well today. Something wrong?" Chrom inquired talking a good look at her face. She seemed a bit on edge, and couldn't help but notice all the bags under her eyes.

"It's a long story I don't want to get into." She sighed thinking about yesterday's incident with Tharja.

"If it makes you uncomfortable talking about it I understand." He nodded.

"Thanks Chrom, you're a really nice guy." She smiled.

"Nah, you're just too kind." He chuckled as he took a seat in front of her. Before he got the chance to say anything else, Fredrick took a seat beside him.

"Good Morning Chrom, I have some Student council matters to discuss with you." Fredrick started. The two drifted away into their own conversation as Rose sighed. She hoped with all her heart that Robin would be in at least one of her classes today.

* * *

><p>"Hello class, and welcome to home economics! Some of you may already know me from homeroom, but for the rest, I am Miss. Tiki." she smiled. "First off, let's start off with attendance."<p>

Rose scanned the room, this was her last class of the day, and she still hadn't seen anyone that resembled her, nor was a Robin called during any of her previous classes. Her heart started to beat in anticipation, as she waited so see if this class would be the same.

"Okay, everyone on the roster is accounted for. Let's get started with talking about what this class is like and what supplies you'll need." Tiki exclaimed. Rose sighed in defeat. Robin wasn't even mentioned. Was her mother wrong about Robin being here? Suddenly she felt someone tugging on her sleeve. She turned to see a sly smile from Lissa, who also had this elective. Lissa slid a piece of paper toward her.

_ "What's the matter?" _The note said, with bubbly handwriting. Rose couldn't help but laugh quietly, the cute handwriting was so Lissa. She then scribbled a response on the paper, and smiled as she discretely passed it back to Lissa.

_ "Nothing, just a bit tired. :) " _

Rose's attention couldn't help but wane as she aimless thought about Robin. She didn't really have much to go on, other than a name and that he would look similar to her. The final bell rang signaling the end of the day as she got up from her seat abruptly.

"So Teach, when are we going to start cooking?" A red head piped up.

"Not for a week or two, we're going to make pizza first." She smiled.

"What about the sweets?" He pouted.

"Oh we'll make pie, tarts, and even chocolates for valentine's day, don't worry Gaius."

"Oh okay, I was about to say... the sweets were the whole reason I signed up for this class!" He smirked as he crammed a few jaw breakers into his mouth.

"That's the 17th piece of candy I've seen him eat this class..." Rose thought to herself.

"Hey Rose, want to get a snack with me and Lissa?" A rather small green haired girl smiled.

"Oh Nowi, no thanks, I'm not very hungry." Rose murmured. She had just met the freshman today in Home Ec. She was in a lot of classes with Lissa and seemed friendly enough.

"Rose? Not hungry?!" Lissa gasped. "Now I know that you're not okay. What's wrong?"

"I'M FINE!" Rose suddenly snapped. She didn't even look up to see Lissa's shocked face. "I just... I just need to go..." She stammered and as if her legs started to move out of their own accord, she ran out of the class room without a second thought. She found herself walking into the rain, grey clouds filled the sky and her heart. How could she be so dumb and naive, thinking that Robin was actually at this school? She foolishly threw everything into the chance that he was here at this school. To be fair though, she didn't have anywhere else to go. Yet she still felt childish thinking that she could her avoid her fate; isolation and despair.

"Rose!" A voice called out. Too engrossed in her thoughts of desolation she continued walking. Suddenly she felt the light touch of a hand on her shoulder. "Rose, didn't you hear me? What's gotten into you walking into the rain like this?"

"Chrom..." She said lifelessly as if in a daze.

"You're going to catch a cold, or something even worse like this. It's pouring like crazy out here." He gently pulled her underneath his large umbrella, shielding her from the rain.

"I don't care." She muttered dimly. "What does it matter? Maybe I'll get sick and die if things go well...I can finally be with her again."

"How could you say something so horrible about yourself Rose? So many people would miss you, like your family!"

"I-I don't even have a family..." She choked, not once through this conversation did she even look at him

"Look at me." He uttered firmly as he softly cupped his hand underneath her chin, and lifted her face toward him. "Rose...?" There were tears streaming down her face, and her eyes were red, puffy, and swollen. "I knew that there was something bothering you, tell me what's wrong... please." He whispered, and then swiftly turned his head in attentiveness. Suddenly a group of footsteps could be heard from behind them. The next sequence of events happened so quickly that Rose didn't even have much of a chance to comprehend what was going on. Chrom swiftly pulled her close, burying her head into his chest, and his arm around her waist. Rose's eyes widened in surprise at the sudden gesture. This smell... was it the fabric softener from his blazer or did he always smell this pleasant? She closed her eyes taking in the calming new scent against the pitter patter of the rain.

"...-So the oaf totally tripped over his own feet, and knocked over the statue! Can you believe it?!" One voice exclaimed, followed by the laughter of others.

"What happened next?" Another questioned between laughs.

"Well, if it wasn't bad enough the idiot-..." the nameless student started, then all of the sudden he went quiet.

Chrom then nestled his head on top of Rose's turning away from the group of students walking by, and gently stroked her hair. Rose couldn't help but feel heat rise to her cheeks and didn't dare move her face from where it was buried in Chrom's chest.

"Well that's pretty bold of them...flirting at school like that..." One whispered as the volume of the footsteps grew louder.

"Ahhhh, so cute!" One girl giggled quietly.

"Do you know those two Mei?" Another asked faintly.

"No clue..."

"Yeah me neither." Another person chimed in.

"You know, it kind of reminds me of a romance movie! Two lovers caught in the heat of a loving embrace in the cold rain!" A feminine voice sighed dreamily and then she clutched her hand into a fist in fierce determination. "I'm totes, using this in the fanfiction that I'm writing!"

"Are you serious Mei? You're so weird."

"Speaking of which we should totally go see a movie this weekend!" Another voice piped in as the footsteps and voices started to decrease in volume until they were no longer in range.

Chrom then released her from their embrace. Rose turned her back to him, her face flushed a deep red. "Wow that was pretty close." He sighed in relief. Once she regained her composure she turned to see his face. He could sense the mixture of confusion and embarrassment on her face. "I couldn't let them see you crying like that could I?"

"Thank you..." She murmured shyly. The thoughtfulness and kindness that Chrom had knew no bounds.

"We should probably get out of the rain though, it's getting pretty heavy." He then gently held her by the wrist as he lead the way into the courtyard. Rose avoided eye contact, as her heart seemed to beat to the rhythm of the rain. They made it to a nearby pavilion that was in the courtyard garden. Rose took a seat on the bench of the picnic table beneath it. "You must be cold from walking in the rain... here." He said as he began to take off his blazer. "This should keep you warm... Oh, I'll be right back." He then took the umbrella and ran off around the corner of the nearby building.

Rose couldn't help but blush once more, as she thought about five minutes earlier. The way he smelt, how firm his build was, how the sighs of his breath hit her ear ever so softly... that was the first time she had ever been so close to a boy before and luckily no one recognized them. That would probably cause some problems for Chrom, being student body president and all, but he hid himself well. Her thoughts were abruptly cut short by the roar of thunder in the distance. Rose shuddered in fear, as she held her knees to her chest in anxiety, ever since that day she couldn't stand thunderstorms...

"Hey, I bought you some coffee and some snacks. I saw some lightening on the way back here so I figured that we should probably stay here until the weather settles down." Chrom said, but she didn't even look up from the ground. She was just sitting there, all curled up within herself, almost in fetal position. "Rose, you're shivering..." He noticed somberly. He put down the umbrella and snacks, and lowered his head down to her eye level. She jumped in surprise when his blue eyes came into contact with her's.

"I-I'm sorry I didn't know you were there..."

"I could tell." He sighed as he took a seat beside her. "Are you by chance afraid of thunder?"

Rose nodded. "I know it's childish, but yes, I am".

"No, it's fine. You've had this phobia since childhood I'm guessing?" He asked, as he grabbed a nearby can of coffee and opened it. "Here, drink this, it's warm."

"...Actually, it only started to happened recently." She took the can from him. Canned coffee? From a vending machine? Another thing she would have to get use to in this school. "My mother passed away about 3 years ago. We didn't have much, if anything at all. All she could afford was food and a roof over our heads, so treatment for her disease was impossible."

"I'm so sorry to hear that."

"She died on a day like today. Ever since then, I get like this every time there is a thunderstorm." She informed as she took a sip of coffee. "She adopted me... so I don't have any family other than her. This scholarship to this school was my only hope of survival, I didn't have any family besides her. "

"That has to be tough." Chrom nodded. He looked over at her and abruptly pulled her in close. "You're still shivering, I should keep you close to keep you warm."

"B-but... what if someone sees us?" She murmured embarrassedly, she couldn't let him see her face like this so she turned away.

"Let them see us." He whispered into her ear.

"HUH?!" Rose gasped her face turned red as a beat.

"I'm only kidding, I'll just explain the situation if anyone sees us." He chuckled. Rose smiled nervously, those rumors of Chrom being a casanova was starting to seem to have some truth to them. "No one in their right mind would be outside caught in a storm like this... well, except us." He opened up a can of coffee and took a sip. "It's okay, I use to always hold Lissa like this when we were little, she use to be afraid of thunder as well. I would always find her hiding under the bed, or in a closet." He remembered with a smile on his face and then laughed softly. "Once I even found her in the refrigerator and the dryer. Now that I think about it, most of the time she chose the strangest hiding spots..." Rose couldn't help but crack a smile of her own. Lissa... She would have to apologize for snapping at her earlier in class the next time she saw her. Rose felt a little silly though, Chrom was just probably doing all of this out of his brotherly instinct, why did she get so worked up and embarrassed earlier? "You know, didn't we meet up a few days ago around here? I think it was that oak tree over there... You were just there sleeping so peacefully, sorry for waking you up like that."

"It's okay."

"Do you know why Lissa and I went over to where you were sleeping?"

"Because of my snoring...?" Rose answered. Chrom merely laughed, and rustled her hair lightly.

"No, to be honest it was because you reminded me of a friend."

"A friend?"

"Yes, when we first met in elementary school, Lissa and I found him snoozing in the corner of the playground near a tree during recess. What an easy going guy..." He drifted off fondly, staring out into the distance of the courtyard with a nostalgic expression. "Since I met him there underneath that tree, we've been the best of friends. As much as I hate to admit to him because he'd probably rub it in, I would be pretty lost without him. He's a very reliable person, amazingly smart and gifted too. I'm not just saying that, he has the IQ of a genius." He smiled gently, and then looked over at Rose. "Now that I think about it... You look an awfully like him. Maybe when I saw you laying there in the grass I hoped you were him."

Rose's heart skipped a beat and nearly stopped as he said that, a look of utmost seriously on her face. "...What's his name?"

"Robin." He smiled at her, brushing a lock of wet hair out her face.

Suddenly, a rush of tears rolled down her face, as Rose began to sob uncontrollably.

"Oh no! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to make you cry! Did I-...did I make you uncomfortable holding you like this?!" Chrom blurted out in panic, he then began to softly wipe the tears from her eyes.

"No you dummy! I-I'm happy!" She exclaimed with a mixture of weeping and laughter. "...the happiest I've been in years!"

"Happy?" He said, raising an eyebrow.

"I've been alone for so long and I was so worried that he didn't even exist!"

"Who are you talking about?"

"Robin! He's my twin brother... my other half." Rose smiled tenderly. Chrom's mouth dropped in shock.

"Now that you mention it... Robin is adopted." Chrom nodded. "Here take this handkerchief,

"This is so great! It feels like I'm dreaming, my mother was right! Even if he doesn't go to this school, now I know that he actually exist! He's out there somewhere!" She said wistfully as she dried her eyes.

"Actually he may be a lot closer than you think."

"Huh?"

"Robin's actually my roommate." Chrom smiled. "He re-registered a bit late for school this year, so he isn't here yet. He's suppose to be moving in this weekend."

"REALLY?!"

"Yes really!" He chuckled. "I think he's also in our block, he just wasn't on the roster yet because of the late registration."

"I-... I'm so haaaaaaaaaaaapy! Waaaaaaaaaaah!" Rose cried once again, and when she went to a quiet whimper, Chrom softly stroked her head.

"I'm very a happy for you. You've probably been so lonely these past years haven't you?" He whispered gently. Rose merely nodded as she sniffled back a tear.

"I don't want to wait until next week to see him though... I want to see him as soon as possible."

"Hmmm... well actually, you could meet as early as Friday if you wanted to, although he wouldn't be on campus."

"Really how?"

"Robin's going to be my piano accompaniment at a competition on Friday. I would be honored if you would be my guest."

"Would that really be okay?"

"Of course! I would just have to pull some strings, not hard at all."

"Oh Chrom! Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"Hahaha, it's no trouble at all."

"You're so nice... I'm not use to anyone being this kind to me."

"You deserve to be treated kindly." Chrom nodded. "I knew something was wrong, this morning you didn't even touch your food at breakfast."

"Speaking of which can I have..."

"The snacks? Of course, I bought them for you."

"Thank you so much!" She smiled as she grabbed a cupcake, and happily began to eat. She then heard Chrom hold back a snicker. "What's so funny."

"You remind me of rabbit or a squirrel, and of Robin... he's a bit of a glutton too." He said in between laughs.

"Hmph! I'll let that animal comment slide since you brought me food." She couldn't help but hold back the happiness in her voice from being compared to him. "Hey Chrom, what's Robin like?"

"Oh well, when you see him, don't tell him I told you this or else his ego's going to inflate, but he's actually pretty funny." Chrom grinned. "He's also a gifted musician and songwriter. He's pretty popular with the girls, but he's so oblivious so he doesn't notice. I guess, the best way to describe him is that he's bright. So brilliant, witty, and lustrous that it's overwhelming at times."

"He sounds wonderful."

"Yep, oh and this one time..." Chrom started. He began to share various stories of the two of them from their childhood and onwards. Rose was entertained to no end by the endless anecdotes about her brother, and it only made her more eager to see him later this week. An hour or so easily passed by as the two talked.

"Oh, the rain has stopped." Rose noticed, as she looked out onto the still grey sky.

"We better hurry indoors before it starts up again. You better go back to your dorm and warm yourself up, I don't want you to get sick." Chrom said, as Rose nodded in agreement. "We'll meet up on Friday and go to the concert hall together all right?"

Mhmm, thank you so much!" She thanked as she turned to leave the pavilion.

"Oh Rose..."

"Hmm?"

"Even if your brother didn't go to this school, you wouldn't be alone. You would still have me by your side." His smile left Rose speechless as butterflies squirmed in her stomach and she could feel her face turning red. "...Lissa too of course." He nodded, as he gave her hair one last ruffle, and ran off to his dorms. Rose stood there for a moment, as she watched his back before he disappear into the distance.


	5. Pre-performance Jitters

**Author's note**: Hi everyone, I usually don't like to put author notes because I think it's distraction to the story, but I just wanted to thank everyone for the reviews that were left on the previous chapters. I love reading the reviews you all send me because it honestly makes my day. I have a few already planned out, but if you would like to suggest some school events, scenarios for the story or certain characters, or ships, I would gladly take them into consideration. Anyway, hope you enjoy reading this chapter. Have a good day! :D

* * *

><p>Rose yawned rather loudly as she stretched her arms out. The final bell for the day had rang, and she had just finished her first week of school. She couldn't help but smile to herself, today was particularly torturous but none the less she made through it.<p>

"Today's the day you've been waiting for." Chrom grinned as he approached her.

"Yep, I looking forward to this evening!"

"Come on, let's talk a bit." He said, as walked a bit, waiting for her to catch up. The two walked out of the classroom together.

"Thanks again for tuesday, I didn't mean for you to see me in such a mess."

"It's no problem at all, I don't think I'd be strong enough to face all the adversity you have, to be honest."

"Ah, you're too kind."

Chrom suddenly stopped as they reached the crossroads that separated the girls and boys dorms. He took a glance around to see if anyone was in sight. Then reached into his book bag, and pulled out a neatly wrapped package with a bow. "Here, this is for you."

"Chrom, I can't possibly-"

"Think of it as present to celebrate the start of a positive change in your life. Meeting Robin will make things turn around, I'm sure of it."

"Well, thank you." Rose smiled, she rarely ever got gifts from anyone.

"Go on, open it." He grinned. With Chrom's approval, she excitedly torn into the wrapping, making sure to keep the wrapping in tact. Chrom laughed. "No need to be polite, have at it."

"I want to save the wrapping." Rose said shyly, as she finally got to the actually box and opened it. A gasp escaped from her lips unintentionally. "Chrom... it's beautiful..." In her hands was a silk pink dress, decorated with a floral lace trims.

"I figured you would need a dress for the occasion. It's actually one of Lissa's designs. I told her what happened, and she instantly got to work making this for you."

"Awww..." Rose cooed, as her lip began to quiver.

"Please don't cry Rose, I don't know if it's just brotherly instinct or not, but when girls cry it really worries me." He chuckled.

"I'm trying... it's just that, I'm not use to people being so kind to me. I grew up poor, so I never owned something so beautiful..." She sobbed, and then she hugged the dress. "I'll treasure it until the day I die."

"I'm happy you like it so much, and I'm sure Lissa will be pleased too." Chrom nodded, as he began to dig in his bag once more. "Oh also, here..."

"Chrom...!" She sighed in disbelief, as she was handed a smaller wrapped box.

"The Dress was Lissa's gift, but think of this as my contribution."

"Oh...no..." Rose gulped as she began to open the gift. Inside was an elegant jewelry box decorated with flowers, lace, and pearls. "In Naga's name Chrom, are you trying to make me cry?"

"No, I was thinking of your happiness, trust me... besides you haven't opened it yet."

"Open it...?" She questioned, as she did exactly that. A light piano melody began to play, and in the box was a set of jewelry. "Chrom you jerk!" She yelled, wiping a tear from her eye.

He merely laughed. "I was shopping with Lissa for the materials for the dress and I noticed these being sold in a set, in a window of a boutique that we passed by. I couldn't help but think that it would suit you, because of the rose motif and all." Rose shifted through the jewelry in the box, there was a pair of earrings, a choker, charm bracelet, and hairband with a rose off to the side, decorated with lace and pearls. Rose merely choked back her tears.

"Do you not like it?" He asked after a moment of silence.

"Are you kidding me? I love it! I love it so much I'm speechless!" She cried. "Thank you so much!"

"You're very welcome." He smiled. "We should get ready, I have to be at the concert hall by 6pm. The competition Starts at 7, so you'll have to hang around for a bit until it starts. At 5:30 meet me at the school gate okay?"

"Okay, see you then!" She nodded, as she walked toward the girl's dorm. She was glad that no one was in the elevator up to her floor because she didn't want anyone to see her face all red and puffy from crying.

Rose opened the door to her dorm, and was surprisingly empty. She took this chance to regain her composure and get changed into her dress. It fit pretty well, like it was made for her... well it was but it was impressive that Lissa managed to gage her measurements so well just by looking at her. Now, how to do her hair? She glanced at the jewelry box that was just given to her. She then heard the door opening.

"Rose are you there?"

"Olivia what's up?"

"Nice dress! Are you going somewhere?" She asked.

"Yeah, I got invited to a classical concert. I don't know how to do my hair though...I'm not too good with these types of things."

"Oh, I could fix your hair, and even your makeup if you wanted me too."

"Really Olivia? Oh gods that would help me out so much, thank you!"

The two sat on Olivia's bed as she grabbed a brush and comb from her nightstand. "So what style would you like?"

"Well I have this hair band that I got, but I have no idea how to put it on..."

"Oh that's easy! I can do that." Olivia nodded as she grabbed the hairband and a curling iron, and began to curl Rose's hair.

"Hey Olivia, how are you so good at this?"

"Oh well, I do a lot of dance recitals, so I just learned from there."

"So it's a learned skill?"

"Yeah, did you think that girls were born with this ungodly gift to look attractive?" She laughed.

"Well, I was never very high maintenance, so yeah..." She said joining in Olivia's laughter. "Do you think... you could teach me how to use makeup and stuff?"

"Of course! It just takes practice. Okay, done with your hair, time for the fun stuff! Makeup!" She said as she got up to get a rather large box. She opened it up revealed a wide variety of eyeliners, blushes, and mascaras. "You don't seem to need a lot of foundation, so I'll put a little to keep the rest of the makeup in place." Olivia explained what everything she was putting on Rose's face did, as she listened intently. They also talked idly about school and what clubs to join and of course gossip. "Okay all done!" She then pulled Rose to a full body mirror that she kept in the room.

"Is this really me?" She gasped as she turned to Olivia who nodded in response. Her hair was down in neat tassels in contrast to the usual straight pigtails she wore everyday, and the headband she just received was neatly placed on her head. Her eyes looked brighter and wider thanks to the combination of mascara and eyeliner. Soft pink lip stain covered her lips, with a light dusting of rosy blush.

"I didn't go too heavy and went for a natural sort of look. I think it suits you the best." She smiled. "Do you have a date or something?"

"No... it's kind of a long story..." Rose began, as she felt that she could trust Olivia. She told her everything; her mother's death, the pain she felt, her loneliness, and how she came to this school to find Robin. She even told her about tuesday with the incident with Chrom. Olivia was left speechless. "I'm sorry that I ranted thoughtlessly like that..."

"It's okay, it's just that... I had no idea you were going through all of that. I kinda wish you told me sooner so I could have comforted you or helped you in some way. I'm also glad that you see me enough as a friend to share something so personal with me."

"Oh Olivia..."

"You're my first friend here to be honest... please promise to tell me if something is bothering you okay?"

"I promise." Rose smiled, as the two hugged. Rose then glanced at the time. "Oh, I gotta go met Chrom."

"Knock him dead." Olivia teased.

"I-it's not like that... he probably just sees me as a little sister like Lissa or something."

"If you say so." She smiled slyly. "I'll see you later."

"Bye bye!"

Rose briskly walked out of the girls dorm, and toward the gates of the campus. Lissa was kind enough to include shoes with the dress, a cute set of ballet flats. Thankful for not wearing high heels, she jogged lightly to her destination.

"Chrom!" She waved as she spotted him waiting off to the side. She caught her breath a bit before looking up at him. He was wearing a rather well tailored suit, and carried his violin case in tow. "Something wrong?" she asked after he was silent for a minute or two.

"Ah, no, it's just that I almost didn't recognize you for a minute. You look sort of different, i-in a good way." He stumbled a bit, trying to grasp the right words. "The dress looks really lovely on you. Lissa will be very pleased." For some odd reason he was avoiding eye contact. Rose just took it as nerves due to the upcoming performance.

"You don't look too shabby in that suit yourself." She laughed as she lightly punched him on the shoulder. "Don't worry you'll be great on stage tonight."

"T-thanks..." He said, his face a bit flushed.

"Chrom, you okay? Your face is as red as a tomato."

"This suit is just a tad too warm." he chuckled nervously, turning his face away from her.

"Ah, understandable." She nodded.

"Oh thank Naga, our ride is here." he coughed nervously.

"Ride?" Rose questioned as she titled her a bit. Then, a small, sleek black limo pulled up in front of them.

"Master Chrom, long time no see." A rather elderly gentlemen greeted as he step out from the driver's seat.

"Hey Charles, thanks for taking us to the concert hall. "

"It's my pleasure Master Chrom. Is this the young lady accompanying you tonight?"

"Oh yes, she's a classmate of mine."

"Very well, happy to be of service to you two." He bowed, then he went toward the car once more.

"It's okay Charles I got this."

"Very well, Master Chrom." He nodded as he went back to the driver's seat.

Chrom then opened the door to the back seat. "After you."

"A-ah thank you." She stuttered, in shock of the limo sitting in front of her. The vehicle was a lot more spacious inside. Rose nervously twiddled her fingers as she took a seat and sat uncomfortably upright.

"I know this must be a big culture shock for you, but it's okay, you can relax." He chuckled.

"Yeah..."

"Hey, did you hear about Vaike?"

"Oh Naga, what did he do this time?

"It was during PE, this guys just doesn't know when to call it quits..." Chrom started. The two idly talked about various things going on at school. As Rose finally managed to relax, they had made it to the venue. "Thank you for the ride Charles."

"It was my pleasure Master Chrom." He nodded as he drove off.

"Okay, let's head inside." He said turning toward Rose, as she simply nodded in response as she followed him into the building. The concert hall was very grand, it was a classical style building with ample lighting from chandeliers, and the walls were covered in elegant paintings and statues. "Here's the seating hall. I managed to get an extra ticket for you."

"Chrom, I don't even know how to express how thankful I am for everything." She smiled as he handed her the ticket.

"Don't worry about it." He said. "I know it's early, but I have to go to the practice rooms and warm up. I would have you meet up with Robin now, but we have to focus on the competition."

"It's okay, I'll just read until the show starts."

"Alright, I-...ah speak of the devil, it's him. Would you like to hear his voice? I can put it on speaker. " Chrom started, as his phone began to ring. Rose nodded eagerly. "Hello..."

"Yo Chrom, where are you?" A rather mid tone male voice asked. Rose eyes lit up in excitement.

"I just got here. I literally just walked in."

"Oh well, we have a slight problem..." Robin said darkly. "I sprained my wrist... it's really bad dude."

"WHAT? HOW IN NAGA'S NAME AM I SUPPOSE TO FIND A REPLACEMENT IN ONE HOUR?!"

"HAHAHA, I'm just kidding!" He laughed. "Oh man, your reaction was priceless. '_How am I suppose to find a replacement_'?" He howled, impersonating Chrom's deep voice almost perfectly. "Just some pre-performance jokes to help you loosen up before the competition."

"I'm in stitches... really." Chrom deadpanned. Rose couldn't help but let out a laugh.

"Who was that?"

"No one."

"Ohhhh I see what's happening here, Lissa was saying that you might bring a date with you yesterday."

" I don't know what your talking about."

"She sounds cute. My little Chromy-kins is all grown up." He sniffled.

"I'm going to hang up now."

"Wow rude, see you in the practice room."

"Yeah bye." Chrom then hung up for real and then sighed. Rose merely giggled.

"You two seem like such good friends." She smiled.

"TOO good of friends. He's a handful sometimes, way too playful." He said as he rolled his eyes. "...but I think he would be a good brother to you. Now, I gotta go set up." He said as he gently rested a hand on her shoulder. "You'll be fine on your own for a while right?"

"Mhmmm!" She nodded.

"Good, I'll see you later."

"Okay, later Chrom! Good Luck!"


	6. Reflection

Rose closed her book as it finally neared 7pm. She looked around and noticed that it was practically a full house.

"I can't to watch Chrom preform!" Rose over heard one girl squeal. Wait, where those Plegia academy uniforms they were wearing? They must have traveled quite a ways to get here. That's some dedication.

"I know right, the way he plays the violin sends shivers down my spine." Another girl sighed, as the group of continued to chatter about how much they admired Chrom.

Finally the curtain rose, as a women in a glittering white gown walked across the stage. "Good evening everyone, welcome to the Intercontinental Classical Music Competition. We welcome the contestants from various countries to compete in a contest of skill. Please help me to welcome the first contestants as we begin our show." The host was met with a round of applause from the audience, as she walked off the stage and the first pair of contestants entered. A man with a deep voice started to talk, as he announced the name of the performers, where they were from, and what song they played over a loudspeaker.

Rose watched as many musicians played skillfully one after another. It was a treat to be able to see such high level performances, by high school student none the less. Oh how she wished that she could play an instrument of her own, but she couldn't really afford one and was left to study various music theory books instead.

"_Next Contestant is Chrom Exalt playing Chopin's Polonaise Brillante No.1, Op.4 on violin, with piano accompaniment played by Robin Iris_."

Rose lite up in excitement, not only would she get to see Chrom play but she would finally get to see Robin. Well, of course he would look similar to her, but what kind of haircut did have? What expression did he wear by default? These and other questions buzzed around in her head.

Chrom briskly walked onto the stage violin in tow, as a rather tall guy with white hair walked behind him. He wore a grey suit vest with rolled up sleeves, and purple tie. They settled into their respective positions and looked at each other in confirmation. Robin grinned toward Chrom, and he returned it with one of his own. They nodded at each other and and Chrom lightly put the bow onto the strings of his violin and began the song.

Rose couldn't help but get captivated by Chrom's violin, as he nimbly played a fury of notes, and as he soared into the high range without missing a beat. Robin keep a steady pace, tying the peace together with his piano. It was as if they were playing a game of tag, as they exchanged a rally of call and response. Rose found herself smiling, the two looked as though they were really enjoying playing together and pleasing the crowd.

The piece ended and the audience exploded into a roar of applause, and the two were given a standing ovation. The two bowed and swiftly exited the stage. The competition continued but Rose's mind still wandered back to Chrom and Robin's earlier performance. Their technique was top notch and Rose was sure that the performance wasn't going to be leaving the minds of the judges anytime soon either.

"Ahhh, it's Chrom!" One of the Plegia girls behind Rose cooed softly. Just as the girl said, Chrom was walking up the aisles looking around as if searching for something. He then stopped at the row Rose was sitting in. He motioned his hand as if beckoning Rose to come. She pointed to herself in response, unsure if that was meant for her. He smiled and then nodded.

"Awww, she's so lucky..." Rose heard one of the girls from Plegia whisper as she got up from her seat.

"Chrom you were really great! I had no idea you could play so well." Rose complimented.

"Well I've been playing since I was a very small child." He said bashfully. "Ready to meet Robin?"

"Yes!" She nodded excitedly.

He then extended his arm toward her. "Shall we?" He invited. She then linked arms with him as they walked out of the seating hall. They headed toward backstage and were stopped by a rather bulky security guard.

"Gregor know you one who plays music, but who is young lady?"

"She's a guest of mine." Chrom informed.

"Oh, she girlfriend ya?"

"Not exactly. She's a relative of one of the contestants."

"Ok, she can go, but Gergor know you just shy to say truth because she is pretty lady." He winked.

"Uh, thank you sir...?"

They finally reached a door with a sign reading "Chrom Exalt and Robin Iris".

"You ready?" He grinned as he looked toward her.

"I'm a bit nervous... what if he thinks I'm intruding on him, and doesn't want me in his life?" Rose whispered solemnly. "What if I'm just a bother to him?"

"Robin is not the least bit cruel. He'll open you with open arms, I'm sure of it." He reassured. "I'm going to knock now."

"Okay." she agreed firmly.

"Robin, I have someone who wants to meet you." Chrom knocked.

"Is it your secret girlfriend?" Robin called from inside.

"Well she's a girl, and she's also a friend, but she's not my girlfriend."

"Does that mean I can flirt with her? Is she cute?"

"Well, she's cute, but I don't think she's your type..."

The door suddenly opened to reveal the same white hair boy that Rose had saw on stage. "Please Chrom-..." Robin then looked at the two, and quickly closed the door in disbelief.

"Robin?" Chrom knocked once more.

"...Dude, I think I was seeing things, the pressures of competition are starting to get to me. I opened the door and I thought I saw a chick that looked looked almost exactly like-..." He started opening the door again. "...me."

"You weren't dreaming." Chrom smirked.

"Look man, I know the whole wrist thing was an ill timed joke, but this is taking it too far. This is not funny bro." He then looked toward Rose. "I'm sorry if I was rude, but this guy Chrom here is a sore loser. He won't let things go unless he one-ups you."

"As great of a practical joke this would be, it's not." He laughed, he then firmly put his hands on her shoulders. "Robin, this is your twin sister Rose."

"No way..."

"Way." Rose laughed.

"When's your birthday?"

"April 15th." She smiled, and then began to sort through her purse, and handed a piece of paper to Robin. "I even have a copy of my birth certificate."

"Holy Naga..." His mouth dropped agape in shock. "We have the same birthday and time..."

"Yeah, I've been, looking for you for a long time..." She started as she began to tear up. Three years of emotions that were built up in her were starting to be released. "My adopted mother died a few years ago and that was when she told me about you. I-I... I don't have anyone left to call family anymore."

A pained look of sadness resided on Robin face, and was quickly replaced with one of determination. "Well that's going to change because now that I've found you, I'm never leaving your side ever." He then pulled her into a hug.

"R-really?" She said, choking back tears.

"Yes really, not even if you wanted me too." He nodded, as he hugged her tighter. She then began to cry even harder. "It's going to be okay."

"I was so afraid..." She weeped. "So afraid I was going to be alone for the rest of my life. I lost everything when mom died. She was the only person I had. I started Ylisse Academy this week to find you. You were my last hope. I know that you probably have a happy life with your adopted parents, and I don't want to get in the way of that, but if you could talk to me once in a while that would make me so very, very happy..."

"I think I can do way better than that. I promise to see and talk to you every single day!"

"...Every day?"

"Yep, for the rest of our lives." He nodded, as he brushed away some of her tears. "We're in this for the long run!"

"Thank you..."

"Don't thank me, that's what family is for." He smiled. "Now let's get out of here, I'm starving and we have a lot of catching up to do."

"Robin, we still have to wait for the results." Chrom reminded.

"Oh yeah!" He chuckled.

"Um, I have something for you." Rose said as she pulled a box out of her purse.

"Awww, you didn't have to get me a present." Robin smiled, Rose merely laughed softly in response. He then opened the box, and in it was a crescent moon shaped pendant.

Rose then pulled out her star shaped pendant that was around her neck. "It's suppose to be a matching set with mine. Our birth mother gave it to us when we were born. My adopted mother left these for me in her will, and left me note telling me to give this to you when I found you again."

"This is really beautiful..." Robin said in awe, as he wiped a tear from his eye. "Aw man, now I feel like I'm gonna cry too."

"It's okay, I've done a lot of crying this week myself." Rose laughed.

"Aww look at you, you looked all nice and dollied up, and now your makeup is all messed up." Robin sighed as he pulled out a handkerchief out of his pocket and wiped away her tears and some of the smudged mascara from her eyes.

"It's okay, I can always get my friend Olivia to teach me how to put on more." Rose smiled.

"Oh, you know Olivia?" Robin asked in surprise.

"She's my roommate!"

"Robin here has been crushing on her since the beginning of freshman year." Chrom smirked. "...But he's too smitten to even talk a single word to her and introduce himself."

"CHROM!" Robin shouted as he punched him on the shoulder, and was met with laughter from Rose.

"Don't worry your secret is safe with me." Rose promised.

"Thanks, at least _someone_ knows how to keep their mouth shut." Robin spat bitterly.

"_Will all the constants please come to the stage. The results are about to be announced_." Said a voice on the loudspeaker.

"I guess I'll wait for you guys outside." Rose shrugged.

"I think it's okay if you wait backstage with us. right?" Robin asked.

"I don't think they would mind." Chrom agreed.

"Come on let's go." Robin smiled as he pulled Rose along by the wrist.

"It's so stuffy in here." Rose whispered, as they made it backstage.

"It's probably because of stage lights." Chrom sighed. "You think it'd be the nerves that kill you, but it's actually the unnecessary heat from the lights that take a toll on you while playing."

"Thank you all for being so patient while the judges made their final decision. Here's the moment you've been waiting for, the results!" The women in white gown from earlier started. "Third place goes to..." She was interrupted by a drumroll. "Lena and Sonia!" The duo walked on stage and accepted their medal. "Second place goes to... Albert and Chris." The next pair walked onto stage, and graciously accepted their silver metal and bowed to the crowd. "Last but not least first place..."

"Oh gods it's now or never." Chrom muttered, as the drumroll played, Rose could feel Robin's grip on her hand tighten in anticipation.

"The winner of the Intercontinental Music Competition is..." She began. "CHROM AND ROBIN."

"OH SWEET NAGA WE WON!" Robin cheered.

"Couldn't have done it without you man." Chrom smiled.

"Right back at you bro." Robin replied, as the two they quickly embraced in a hug, and then walked onto stage. They were each handed a sleek trophy and were given a standing ovation by the crowd. They gratefully bowed, and exited the stage.

"This concludes the Intercontinental Music Competition, please have a wonderful evening everyone!"

"Congratulations!" Rose smiled, three joined in for a group hug. Suddenly a large growl could be heard.

"All this excitement is making me hungry." Robin sighed, Rose and Chrom laughed in response.

"Lets get out of here and get some dinner shall we?"

It was pretty astounding that for pair of people who never met until a half hour ago already seemed to click so well. Rose and Robin talked cheerfully, as they decided to play a game of 20 questions to get to know each other better.

"Okay so, what's the most embarrassing thing to happen to you?" Rose asked.

"I think I know this one..." Chrom chucked. "The Snarting incident..."

"Snarting...?" Rose questioned raising an eyebrow.

"We have to stop hanging out so much, you know me too well." Robin started. "Okay so, back in the 3rd grade, I was just minding my own business. My crush was in that class, and she dropped her pencil, so being the gentleman I was I went to pick it up for her. When I was giving it back to her, I sneezed, and sweet Naga, as I sneezed I let out the biggest fart of my life." Rose roared into laughter.

"It was so loud that I could hear it from across the hall in my classroom. I didn't know it was him until he told me the story later." Chrom laughed.

"The girl I had a crush on cried of laughter, and I cried tears of embarrassment." Robin sulked.

"Are you talking about that Snarting story again?" A familiar voice called, as petite girl approached them as they reached the front of the concert hall.

"Hey! That event had great emotional impact on my life for your information, Lissa!" Robin sniffled.

"Rose! You look fantastic!" Lissa smiled.

"It's all thanks to you Lissa, thank you for the dress. I'll cherish it always." Rose thanked.

"Congratulations on winning you two."

Rose turned to see a beautiful young girl. She had long blue hair, and clear blue eyes.

"Thank you Lucina." Chrom said. "I really appreciate you coming."

"It's no problem at all." She nodded, she then pulled two bouquets from behind her back. "I know that you two have been working hard for months practicing. I picked these from the flower garden I'm growing."

"That's awfully sweet of you Luci." Robin thanked as he received the bouquet.

"Hand...hungers..."

"Oh sweet Naga here we go."

A boy with ruffled blond hair approached the group, his hand twitching over his face in anticipation.

"Owain, so nice of you to join us." Chrom greeted.

"Cousin Chrom, I was so very moved by your performance, my hand has not stopped shaking in excitement!"

"Oh thank you." He chuckled. "Oh Rose, these are my Cousins, Lucina and Owain, they're both freshman at Yissel academy. Lucian, Owain, this is Rose. Robin's twin sister."

"Twin sister? This is news to me." Lucina said.

"I actually just found out and met her today myself. Crazy right?" Robin informed.

"That is pretty crazy." A gentle mature voice chimed in.

"Emmy!" Lissa cheered. Standing before them was a graceful looking women, with long ringlets of blonde hair.

"Chrom, Robin, that was a wonderful performance, thank you for representing Ylisse in this competition, it really means a lot." This was Chrom's sister. Rose remembered Olivia saying that she was a very important politician for Ylisse. "Also, it's very nice to meet you Rose."

"Nice to meet you too." Rose uttered nervously.

"If you don't mind, I would love to treat you all to dinner." Emmeryn smiled.

"That's very kind of you, thank you so much." Rose bowed.

"No need to be so polite, that's the least I can do!"

With that, Rose spent an evening with Chrom, Lissa, Robin, Emmeryn, Owain, and Lucina. After they finished their meal they were driven back to the school campus. The campus was dead silent, with the exception of crickets chirping in the late night.

"Thanks for everything Emm." Chrom thanked.

"It was my pleasure." She smiled. "It was nice meeting you Rose, you are very pleasant girl."

"Thank you." Rose was a bit in shock to receive such a compliment from a wonderful women such as Emmeryn.

"Lissa are you not staying at the campus this weekend?" Chrom questioned.

"Yep! I'm gonna hang with Emmy for a bit." She smiled.

"Okay be good." Chrom warned. "What about you two Owain and Lucina?"

"I have a few things to take care of at the Exalt estate." Lucina informed.

"As do I." Owain nodded.

"What's with the long face?" Robin asked Rose.

"I'm just a bit nervous that I won't see you again... a bit irrational I know, but it seems like everyone I'm close to just goes away." Rose murmured.

"Don't worry, I have a few things to take care of tomorrow, and on sunday I'll be moving into the dorms, okay?" He reassured, a simple nod was returned by Rose. "Don't forget, we'll see each other everyday. I swear to keep that promise until the day I die."

"Okay." Rose she smiled. With that Rose and Chrom, waved as the limo began to drive away.

"We're in this for the long run!" Robin yelled from out the window, as the car drifted out of sight as Chrom and Rose laughed.

"Did you have fun today?" Chrom asked as they began to walk onto campus.

"Mhmm! This was actually the most fun I've had in years. Lucina was so sweet, and Owain... he was unique..."

Chrom laughed. "Owain certainly does have a flare for the dramatics. He's actually an astounding actor. Lucina's focus is swordplay. She is breathtakingly talented, and she gets better by the day. I remember when she first picked up a rapier, and we would spar together, those were the days..." He sighed. "What did you think of Robin?"

"Robin is great! I can't wait to get to know him more, I'm so glad to have a brother as kind as him." She smiled.

"I'm happy that everything worked out." He nodded. The two then reached the crossroads to the girls and boys dorms. "I guess this is where we take our leave. Sleep well okay?"

"Thank you, have a good night Chrom!"

"Good night."

Rose started to run the rest of the way to the dorm. She didn't know what came over her, but she was filled with so much energy despite the eventful evening. She reached her room and saw that the lights were already out. She quietly opened the door and saw that Olivia was already fast asleep. Quickly and silently changing out of her dress, she changed into a set of pajamas. She jumped into her bed, and aimlessly looked at the ceiling, thinking of all the moments in her day. Her eyes started to feel heavy, maybe she was really tired after all. With that last thought, she then peacefully drifted to sleep, eager to start another day now that Robin was in her life.


	7. Activities Fair

"Alright, settle down everyone, it's time to get started with homeroom." Tiki smiled as she entered the room. "Let me do attendance and we'll get to the announcements." With that Tiki called everyone's name on the roster, she even remembered Kellam this time, but something just wasn't right...

Was everyone really seeing this right? Or maybe they still weren't fully awake yet. Why were there two Robins? Or two Roses? None the less it was very weird that the two were a practically a mirror reflection of each other face wise.

"Let's start off with this bit of news. The club activities fair is today after school. As some of you may know, this is where clubs try to recruit new members. Remember that clubs always make your high school transcripts better for college." Tiki started.

"What club are you going to join?" Olivia whispered.

"I'm not sure yet... I'm going to see what this school has to offer and then decide." Rose whispered back.

"Yeah that's a good idea."

"Also, in a few weeks is the school festival followed by the homecoming dance. We need to chose two representatives for the class this year, one boy and one girl. Any volunteers?"

"Ow..." Rose suddenly felt some hit her head, as a paper ball landed on her desk. She opened the crumpled piece of paper.

_Wanna be Class Reps?_

_ -Robin_

She then looked over at Robin, who was a few seats away from her, and was met with a wide grin from him. She gave him a thumbs up.

"No volunteers? Don't tell me I have to start 'nominating' someone to get the ball rolling..." Tiki laughed.

"I volunteer to be the female representative." Rose raised her hand.

"Oh good idea, it would be a great way for a new student like you to meet other students." Tiki agreed. "Anyone volunteers for the male representative?"

"I'll be the male representative." Robin chimed in.

"Okay good, let's start talking about the school festival. I'll have you two take over." Tiki nodded as took a seat off to the side. Robin and Rose walked up to the front of the classroom.

"So as you know, the school festival is a time where we come together in order to display the best of Ylisse Academy. So each class has to come up with some kind of exhibition to raise money. The class that raises the most money at the end of the festival gets a prize." Robin started "We'll start by brainstorming some ideas, any suggestions?" The two were met with silence. "It's okay take a few minutes to think."

"I've never had something like this at my old school..." Rose whispered to Robin.

"Probably because this is a Ylisse Academy tradition." He replied. "This event has been done since the foundation of the school, so it's a pretty big deal."

"If I may be so bold, we could do a beauty pageant to showcase the wonderful aesthetics of the lovely women of our homeroom." Virion suggested, as he was met with glares from all the women in the room.

"Uh, I'm not sure the ladies would dig being put on display like that... so I'm just going to write down a talent show..." Robin informed sheepishly as he began to scribble on the board.

"Maid and Butler cafe...it'd be just like one of my shoujo mangas..." Tharja chuckled darkly, and then muttering lowly. "Robin and Rose... in uniform...heheeheheh..."

"Okay, I didn't hear that latter part, but a Cafe although cliché, is a solid idea." Robin nodded as he wrote that down on the board as well.

"Let's do a bake sale." Gaius suggested, his feet resting casually on his desk.

"Gaius, that would end horribly because you would just want to get your sticky fingers on the treats, plus that's too similar to the cafe idea."

"Can't pull a fast one over you Bubbles, you know me too well." Gaius sighed in defeat.

"We should have a sword sparring tournament" Lon' qu stated.

"Lon, you just want an excuse to stab people." Robin sighed.

"So?" He shrugged.

"Lon' qu that's kind of illegal."

"Still don't see the point you're trying to make." He yawned.

"The point is that it ain't gonna happen." Robin chided. "Any other suggestions that won't end up in a lawsuit?"

"We could host a school wide scavenger hunt. If we all chip in five gold, we should be able to buy a nice prize for the winner." Sumia suggested.

"That sounds good." Robin agreed as he wrote that on the board too. "Okay, I think that's enough to choose from, time to vote."

Rose passed out pieces of paper to each student. After five minutes had passed she then collected all the slips of paper and put them into a box. She then tallied up the votes. "Looks like the Maid and butler cafe wins."

"YES!" Tharja cheered, this was just meet by stares from all the other classmates. She then chuckled darkly too low for anyone to hear, "Everything is going according to plan...".

The bell rang ending homeroom. "We'll take about budgeting and costumes next class." Robin announced, as everyone started to gather up their things and leave the room.

"You handled that very well... you're a pretty good leader." Rose complimented as she gathered her stuff.

"Yeah well, it only being your second week, I figured that you might be confused about the School festival and how it works." Robin replied.

"Rose, Robin, don't forget that since your the class reps, that you have to attend the meeting during lunch hour today." Tiki reminded them before they walked out of the classroom.

"Sure thing Miss. Tiki." They both said in unison.

"Okay that was weird..." Rose laughed.

"Let's try not to do that anymore, the whole-"

"Talking in unison thing?" Rose finished.

"That and-" Robin started.

"Finishing each other sentences?" Rose laughed.

"Yeah...that." Robin then sighed. "This is going to take some getting use to."

* * *

><p>"Hey Rose!" Olivia greeted, as she spotted her on line for lunch.<p>

"Oh hey Livi." She smiled, but then frowned. "I'm sorry I can't have lunch with you today."

"It's no big deal, I know you have to work out some stuff with the student council about the school festival. We can always meet up and go around the Club activities fair later."

"That sounds like a plan." She agreed.

"Hey, are you ready yet?" Robin said as he approached his sister with a tray full of food.

"Oh yeah, let me just pay and you can show me to the student council room." Rose nodded.

"Hi, I'm Olivia, Rose's roommate, she's told me about about you Robin." She waved.

"Nice to meet you Olivia, I hope Rose isn't a handful."

"Hey!" Rose snapped in protest.

"No not at all. She's a wonderful friend, I'm so glad we're roommates." Olivia smiled.

"Well I'm you two are getting along." Robin nodded. "We should get going."

"Okay, I'll see you later Livi!"

"Bye Rose!"

As soon as they were out of the dining hall, Robin let out a big sigh of relief.

"So you do have a thing for Olivia after all..." Rose snickered.

No-... I just wanted to make a good first impression." He retorted. "Livi though?"

"Yeah, I think it's a cute nickname." Rose smiled as they entered the student council room. In the room a rather tall guy was writing on the board. "Hey Frederick, on time as always."

"Yes well, it's my duty as Student Council Secretary to keep the minutes." He said.

"They don't call him 'Frederick the wary' for nothing." Robin grinned.

"A title I wear proudly." Frederick nodded. The three continued to chat idly as they waited for more people to come in.

"Good afternoon everyone." Lucina greeted as she walked into the room, a light brunet following behind her.

"Lucina, are you a part of the student council too?" Rose asked.

"I'm a Class representative. Oh, and this dolt here is Inigo."

"Dolt? Are you trying to embarrass me in front of this cute girl?" He retorted pointing to Rose.

"Dude, are you seriously flirting with my sister in front of me?" Robin asked, as he shoveled another fork full of food. "Typical Inigo. It's not like you had much game to begin with anyway."

"You're sister...?" He asked, a look of confusion on his face. "I thought the only siblings you had were the Morgs."

"The Morgs?" Rose asked, just as confused as Inigo was.

"Morgan and Morgana, they're my younger brother and sister. Well, they're my adopted siblings, but they're still my brother and sister none the less. They're actually freshman here too." Robin informed.

"So, I'm guessing that she's your biological sister?" Inigo inquired. "You two look a lot alike."

"Yep, she's my twin." Robin answered, still nonchalantly eating his lunch.

"Wow... that's really weird..." Inigo stated.

"How is that weird?" Rose questioned.

"Morgan and Morgana are twins too." Lucina informed.

"HUH?!" Rose exclaimed as she looked toward Robin.

"Yeah, it's true. What are the odds right?" Robin chuckled. "Maybe us twins are attracted to each other by some magnetic force?"

"Negative, humans do not have a magnetic field." A monotone voice stated, as a tall redhead with glasses entered the room.

"Afternoon Mirel." Frederick greeted.

"Good afternoon Frederick, I hope everyone is accounted for so we can begin this meeting."

"Not quite, we're missing a few student reps, and our vice president, and out Pres-"

"Not so fast Frederick, I'm here." Chrom interrupted as swiftly he entered the room. "I had to talk to a few faculty members about the issues we discussed from last meeting, sorry I'm late."

"It's okay, we are still waiting on the vice president, and some class representatives." Frederick nodded. The group talked a bit, as they waited for the rest to arrive. A few more senior class representatives arrived, along with some juniors.

"Sorry I'm- _munch munch_... late _munch_."

"I apologize for my tardiness as well.

"Stahl, Panne, nice of you to join us." Frederick greeted, as Stahl carried a large pile of food to where he was sitting, so large that you couldn't see his face until he put it down on the table. Just then Cordelia walked in with a girl who looked similar to hear, only she was wearing long pigtails, and Owain followed right behind him.

"Cordelia, Sereva, Owain... okay, everyone is accounted for, let's begin." Chrom announced. "Our first order of business is to discuss what each class is doing for the school festival, then we will discuss the budget."

"Class 1-A is doing a play." Sereva informed.

"1-B is doing an murder mystery." Inigo replied.

"2-A is doing a maid and butler cafe." Chrom scribbled on his notepad. "I was there for that one."

"2-B plans to do a haunted house." Panne spoke.

"3-A is doing a food stand."

"3-B is doing an art auction."

"Okay good, good." Chrom nodded. "Let's discuss the budget for each class, shall we Miriel?"

"Gladly." She started. "Each class will have a allowance of one small bullion. Please make sure to keep all receipts of items purchased for your festival exhibits."

"Now let's go over some other rules and codifications..." Chrom started.

* * *

><p>"Ready for the Club activities fair?" Olivia questioned as they entered the gym.<p>

"Yep! Are you going to join anything?"

"Hmmm... I don't know. I think I'm okay with just being on the dance team for now."

"Oh okay." Rose said. "Wow, look at all these booths."

"Yep, there's certainly a lot to choose from."

"My fair lady, would you like to join the archery club?" Virion asked as they two passed by his booth.

"I've never done archery before..." Rose informed.

"All the better! We have members including myself that would be willing to teach you." Virion nodded.

"It's okay, I don't think I would be interested to be honest." Rose said sheepishly.

"Fair enough, have a lovely day ladies." Virion waved as they continued walking.

"Hey! Wanna join the weight lifters club?"

"Sorry Vaike, I don't think I'm cut out for it."

"Suit yourself." He shrugged.

As they walked, several people tried to pitch their club to Rose, but with no avail. Suddenly they could hear the clash of metal nearby.

"**NEXT**." A fencer called out, a round of applause followed.

Through the open doors of the gym leading outside, two fencers could be seen battling it out. Both seemed equally matched, as they rapiers conflicted together, however, one of the fencer's rapiers collided with the shoulder of the other fencer.

"**NEXT**." the victorious fencer called, swiftly getting back into stance.

Once again rapiers clanked together, however, the winning fencer from earlier quickly made work of the new opponent and the shock of their hit made the other fencer's rapier fly off into the distance. This was met with another round of applause from the audience.

"That's 10 straight wins!" The refugee announced. "Take a break."

The fencer then walked off and removed their helmet, long blue hair flowing out.

"Lucina?" Rose gasped.

"Oh hi Rose, Olivia." she smiled, as she took a drink of water from a nearby water bottle.

"That was crazy! 10 straight wins!" Rose said in awe.

"Yeah, once I get into a rhythm it becomes clockwork." She laughed quietly.

"I didn't know you were this good." Olivia gasped.

"Yeah well I-..."

"Lucina Exalt...15 years old, five foot six, blood type B... A wickedly talented swords woman who has even managed to beat Lon' qu of the kendo team. While she was in middle school, she hungered for a more worthy challenge after defeating everyone on the middle school team, and as a result masqueraded as a man, the legendary masked Marth, and began challenging high schoolers." A redheaded girl suddenly appeared, scribbling down notes in her notepad.

"Who is that?" Rose asked.

"Anna-... Anna Thomas, head writer of the newspaper club." She answered. "Lucina, if I may be so bold to ask; where did you learn how to fence like that?"

"My cousin." She simply answered.

"Your cousin? If my reporter instincts are correct this "cousin" you're referring to may be Chrom Exalt who is also quite talented with a blade, however, as Student Council president and a member of the music club, he is much too busy to pursue a spot on either the kendo or fencing team." Anna explained with a very news reporter like tone.

"You are correct. Now I must be getting back to the exhibition matches. Rose, Olivia, I will talk to you later." She said as she walked off.

"I got some information out of her, but not enough for a scoop..." Anna mumbled looking at her notes. "Hey kid, you wanna join the school newspaper?"

"I don't think I'm cut out for it..."

"Honesty, I like it. Not everyone is cut out for the cut throat life of a reporter." Anna nodded as she patted Rose's back. "I like you kid. Take care."

"Is she always like that...?" Rose asked as Anna walked away.

"Well, not when she's haggling people and hoarding gold." Olivia answered sheepishly.

"Uh... good to know..."

The two continued to walk around the gym some more just to see what the other clubs were like.

"Yo Sis!" Robin waved. "Hey Olivia."

"Oh hey Robin. What club is this?" Rose asked curiously.

"This is the music club!" Robin said cheerfully. "Chrom and I started this club last year; we have a band called the Shepherds."

"Wow, that's really cool!"

"Yeah, but we only have four member, Lon qu', Gaius, Chrom and I... would you like to join?"

"I would love to, but I don't know how to play any instruments. I could never afford one or lessons..."

"Bummer, but even if you don't join the music club, I can always teach you!"

"Really?"

"Really, really." He nodded.

"Oh thank you Robin!"

"Yeah, I know I'm the best."

"Don't let it get to your head..." She scoffed. "Anyway, I'll see you at dinner."

"Later you two."

Olivia and Rose walked out of the gym, Rose feeling a bit overwhelmed at all the sports teams and clubs there was.

"So Rose, know what you're going to join?" Olivia asked.

"Hmmm... I think I'm going to try out for the dance team, and join the literature club." Rose decided.

"I can't wait until we dance together!" Olivia cheered.

"I'm looking forward to it myself." Rose smiled as she looked at a nearby clock. "Hmmm... It's only 5pm."

"Let's do some homework together until dinner." Olivia suggested.

"Uggggh yeah... as much as I don't want to, we have to get it done." Rose sighed.

"Hey, it's still pretty nice out, we could probably work on it outside in the courtyard, it'd be a nice little picnic... except inside of food, we'd have algebra problems..."

"You're not making it any more appealing but we might as well enjoy the nice weather." Rose agreed. "Let's go!" With that the two went outside to enjoy the last lingering strides of summer.


	8. Twins Play

"Yoooohoooo!" Rose called out as she entered one of the music practice room. "Robin, you said we were going to play some video games at the game room today remember?"

"Ah, sorry, I got wrapped up in this song I'm writing. What time is it?" he asked as he yawned.

"It's 6pm, you were suppose to meet up with me in the game room a half hour ago. You always lose track of time when you're in your song writing mode."

"Sorry, sorry! I just needed to get this done for my music writing class..." He said as he rubbed his eyes. "I need use the bathroom. Be right back."

"Okay, I'll just be here... in this old, kinda creepy room... all by myself..." Rose drifted on as he left the room. "They should really fix up this room..." She mumbled. Her eyes wondered to the piano that Robin was sitting at. She poked at one of the keys and it note came out in response. "Heehee..." She chuckled. Her eyes then went to the sheets of paper resting on the piano. "What exactly was he working on so intently for the past few days?" She thought as she read the title of the song. "_First Love_..." Her eyes scanned the music sheets. "I can sing and read this easy enough..." She peeked behind her to see if anyone was there, and in the first time in years she began to sing.

_Once in a while  
>You are in my mind<br>I think about the days that we had  
>And I dream that these would all come back to me<br>If only you knew every moment in time  
>Nothing goes on in my heart<br>Just like your memories  
>How I want to be here with you<br>Once more_

_You will always gonna be the one_  
><em>And you should know<em>  
><em>How I wish I could have never let you go<em>  
><em>Come into my life again<em>  
><em>Oh, don't say no<em>  
><em>You will always gonna be the one in my life<em>  
><em>So true, I believe i can never find<em>  
><em>Somebody like you<em>  
><em>my first love<em>

_Once in awhile_  
><em>Your are in my dreams<em>  
><em>I can feel the warmth of your embrace<em>  
><em>And I pray that it will all come back to me<em>  
><em>If only you knew every moment in time<em>  
><em>Nothing goes on in my heart<em>  
><em>Just like your memories<em>  
><em>And how I want to be here with you<em>  
><em>Once more<em>  
><em>yeah yeah yeah<em>

_You will always be inside my heart_  
><em>And you should know<em>  
><em>How I wish I could have never let you go<em>  
><em>Come into my life again<em>  
><em>Please don't say no<em>  
><em>Now and forever you are still the one<em>  
><em>In my heart<em>  
><em>So true, I believe I could never find<em>  
><em>Somebody like you<em>  
><em>My first love<em>  
><em>oh oh<em>

_You will always gonna be the one_  
><em>And you should know<em>  
><em>How I wish I could have never let you go<em>  
><em>Come into my life again<em>  
><em>Oh, don't say no<em>  
><em>You will always gonna be the one<em>  
><em>So true, I believe I could never find<em>  
><em>Now and forever<em>

She took a deep breath after she finished. It was sort of liberating to sing again, even if it was just this once.

"AHAH!"

"AAAAH!" Rose yelled as she turned around, only to see Robin behind her. "D-don't scare me like that!"

"I heard everything."

Her heart felt like it dropped. "H-heard what?"

"Don't act dumb."

"I really don't know what you're talking about."

"That was you singing just now."

"Listen Robin, I'm sorry that I was snooping on your work but-"

"-AND YOU WERE REALLY GOOD."

"...Huh?"

"How were you able to sight read the music sheet so well?"

"I couldn't afford any instruments... but your voice is free you know? I learned how to read music by borrowing books from the library..." She explained nervously.

"I had no idea you could sing so well, and you can actually read music too, and you have a stellar ear if you can sight read and sing that great by just looking over something once."

"Yeah... thanks..."

"You should sing for all my songs!"

"What? I-I can't do that!"

"Pleeeeeeease, PleasePleasePleasePlease Pleaaaaaaase!" Robin begged.

"Oh... Oh alright! I'll do it!" She gave in.

"YES!" He cheered.

"BUT-... you have to promise to keep me anonymous, got it?"

"Uh, okay that's no big deal." He agreed. "This is going to be so great! I won't be limited by range as much anymore when writing."

"Who usually sings your songs?"

"Well I usually just get Chrom to sing songs that have a male lead. Female wise... it's basically anyone I can find, but most people I find can't read music and match the pitch that well."

"Chrom sings?"

"Yeah, he's pretty decent. He can't do anything fancy like you can, but he has a nice husky and wild tone, he's really into rock music so maybe that's why his voice has that vibe."

"I see, well, I'm glad that I could help." Rose smiled in returned. It kind of made her a bit happy to see Robin this happy. He really loved composing music it seems.

"I'm starving though..." Robin groaned.

"I bet you got so into your work you didn't even eat today."

"NO-... okay yeah you're right." He admitted. "Let's get dinner and then go to the game room?"

"Sounds good to me." Rose agreed.

* * *

><p>"Yo, Lonny Q, what's up my man?" Robin waved to his friend, as he sat down at the table he was eating at.<p>

"Robin..." He greeted, and then looked up and instantly tensed when he saw Rose. "Do not get within a yard of me!" He hissed.

"Huh... but I didn't even say anything yet.." Rose said with a bit of hurt in her voice.

"No less than a yard." He commanded. Rose merely sulked as she sat all the way at the other end of the table.

"Don't you think that's a bit harsh?" Robin asked.

"We both know why it's necessary."

"Okay..." He sighed, there was practically no arguing with Lon'qu once he made up his mind. "How's Kendo practice going? Heard that you hurt your wrist during the summer. Hope it hasn't affected your bass playing."

"It was merely a sprain, I recovered after a week of two of resting, and no need to worry, it certainly won't affect my playing. I will be well enough to play at the school festival with the rest of the music club." He reassured. "Speaking of which I had a few questions about the new sheet of-" Lon'qu stopped mid sentence as a pea bounced off the side of his face. He swiftly turned to see Rose mindlessly eating her food. "As I was saying about the new sheet music we got, I was wondering if-" Another pea flew, only this time it hit his eye. The sound of muffled snickering could be heard in the distance. "Okay that's it, what is your-...!" Lon'qu started as he walked up to Rose. Then two more peas were swiftly fired at his face. The muffled snickering was now full blown laughter. "Seriously?! You're not even trying to be inconspicuous anymore!"

"You're just so serious about literally everything!" She said in between laughs. She tried to cover her mouth to muffle her giggles but to no avail.

"I don't see a problem in that." He stated.

She finally settled down a bit after her laughing fit. "I think you need to lighten up a bit."

"Lighten up? I think it's you who needs to- hahahaa...AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAA!"

Everyone was now was looking at the scene that was unfolding before them in disbelief. Were they're eyes playing tricks on them right now?

"Lon'qu... laughing...?" Robin said in awe, as he reflexively dropped his fork full of food. In all his years of being friends with Lon'qu he never even thought he would dream of hearing him laugh.

"STOP-AHAHAHAHAAAAA-TICKLING ME YOU MAD WOMEN-HAAAHAAAHAAAHAAA CEASE THIS AT ONCE!"

Rose ignored him, and continued tickling the side of his ribs for a minute more and then decided to give him a break. "See! That wasn't too bad!"

"Pure...torture..." He managed to stumble out, gasping for air.

"Your laugh is actually pretty cute." Rose smiled as she reached to tickle him once more.

"Don't you dare!" He gasped as he reached out and grasped Rose by her wrist. The two struggled for a few seconds, Rose trying to make her way back to his ribcage and Lon'qu doing everything in his power to prevent her from doing so. In the strife, Rose suddenly lost her footing and accidentally stepped on Lon'qu's foot. She reflexively closed her eyes, waiting to hit the ground head first, however that moment never came. She slowly opened her eyes, and was met with warm and sharp brown eyes. It was a bit of an awkward position; somehow Rose had landed on top of Lon'qu. For a moment, it was as if time slowed down. It was a bit surreal being so close to him and to hear his rising and waning of his breathing. His face was strong and rough, and there was a harsh but handsome quality to his face that made him appealing to look at.

"You okay?"

"Yes..."

"Good. Now get off of me!" He ordered. Rose got up in embarrassment, realizing that she was probably staring at Lon'qu for an uncomfortable amount of time. "Take back your barbaric sister Robin." He said as he lightly pushed Rose off towards Robin.

"H-hey! I resent that!" Rose shouted as she watched him walk off. Wait... was she seeing alright? Was he blushing...?

"That Lon'qu, has the reflexes of a cat." Robin mumbled, as he took his last bite of food. "Well that was eventful, let's head to the game room now."

* * *

><p>"What do you want play today?" Robin asked.<p>

"Hmmm... I want to play that dancing game, _Let's Dance_." She said out loud in thought. "I need to burn off dinner..."

"Okay, after that we have to continue our let's play of _Flame Crest._" Robin agreed as he opened up his laptop, and started to set up a microphone.

"Sure, I was itching to play that game anyway." Rose nodded.

"You guys do Let's plays?" Gaius said raising an eyebrow, he was sitting at a nearby table, with his feet resting on the tabletop. Gaius was a monitor of the game room, so he was always hanging around there during the weekends.

"Yep! We recently started a channel after a video of Rose playing _Fugue_ went viral." Robin informed.

"Oh you mean that indie survival horror game." Gaius nodded. "Wait... I think I know the video, the one where the girl playing actually starts to cry? That was you two?"

"Unfortunately yes..." Rose sighed monotonously. "AND I WASN'T CRYING... much... it was more like a whimper..."

"I knew that her reaction might be interesting so I recorded it on a whim." Robin chuckled.

"Without my prior knowledge." Rose added in bitterly.

"So I thought that since Rose hasn't played video games until recently that it would be interesting to watch someone that has a clean slate when it comes to gaming play the classics."

"I don't know why, but I agreed." Rose shrugged.

"So, that's how I started '_Twins Play_'." Robin grinned. "We already have about 500,000 subscribers on _iVideo _because of how viral the video of Rose playing _Fugue _was."

_ "_Damn that's impressive. I'll subscribe to you two later." Gaius nodded.

"Hey, you ready to play _Let's Dance_? I set it up already." Rose informed.

"Ah right, I'll be right there." Robin said as he walked away from his laptop. "Okay ready. Aw man why did you have to pick this song?"

"What's wrong with this song?" Rose asked.

"It's that girl group from Chon'sin..."

"Their dances are a bit embarrassing for a guy to do." Gaius laughed.

"Eh fuck it, it's time to break down some gender roles." Robin said. "Let's do it."

"All right." Rose smiled. A cheery pop song began to play as the two matched the dance moves on screen. It was hard for Rose to hold back her laughter as Robin did a lot of cutesy hip swaying, mirroring the girls in the game.

"So, I'm guessing from all that flirting that you're into Lon'qu?" Robin questioned as the two danced.

"What?!" Rose shouted in surprise. "Is this song okay?"

"I didn't know you were into the silent and stoic types." Robin smirked. "Yeah it's cool."

"Gotta say that was an excellent performance Bubbles. I especially liked all the hip thrusts." Gauis complimented.

Robin in return jokingly winked at Gaius. "I know I'm bootylicious."

"Okay hold up a second, I was NOT flirting with him." Rose said firmly.

"Oh yeah, so what was earlier at dinner about?

"What happened with Giggles at dinner?" Gaius asked curiously. Giggles was one of Gaius' infamous nicknames for Lon'qu.

Well, it's exactly that; Giggles was giggling."

"No way...seriously?" Gaius gasped.

"Well, it was a bit _forced_, but none the less he was laughing." Robin informed.

"Why was he laughing?"

"My dear sister here, decided that it would be a good idea to tickle him."

"Oh yeah, that's definitely flirting. Girl's tickling? That's adorable!" Gaius stated in a matter of fact tone, as he nonchalantly opened a bag of gummy bears.

"See?" Robin said.

"Oh come on! I was just getting back at him for being so cold to me." Rose sighed. "I didn't even say a word to him and he barked at me to go away. It was my first time even talking to the guy!"

"...Don't you know?" Robin asked raising an eyebrow.

"Know what?" Rose asked back in response.

"Good ol' giggles has a serious case of Gynophobia." Gaius informed, stuffing a handful of gummy bears in his mouth.

"Oh..." Rose uttered in shock. A wave of guilt ran over her. "You can chose a song Robin..."

"...You okay Bubblena?" Gaius asked.

"I feel like a jerk about messing with Lon'qu like that."

"It's okay, you didn't know. Plus he has to work through it eventually, girls are apart of life. He can't avoid them forever." Robin reassured.

"Yeah don't sweat it Bubblena, it's not like Giggles is going to combust into flames or develop hives just by being near a girl."

"I guess so, I should still apologize next time I see him though."

"Yeah, that wouldn't hurt." Robin agreed. "Let's play some _Flame Crest_ to cheer up."

"Okay..." She complied. The two began to set up the next game, as Rose changed systems and Robin began to set up the capture card and the two settled down comfortably in front of the microphone.

"Alright, we're recording in three... two... one..." Robin counted down. "Hey everyone, welcome back to another episode of Twins Play _Flame Crest_. Last episode we started off the adventure with Silver, the Captain of the Herdsman, a small army of warriors that protect the land from bandits and other dangerous monsters. However, Silver along with his sister Elizabeth found a mysterious mage that has amnesia. Since Rose is playing, we chose to play as a female, and we named her Mimi."

"That's right, and it's really weird because the mage we named Mimi, that they found in the field doesn't even know his own name at first, but some how knows Silver. I find that very weird." Rose said with skepticism.

"So you're wary about Mimi like William?"

"Yeah I'm with William with this one, I don't think they should trust her, but Silver's such a good guy, he's so idealistic, and he believes in the good nature of people so much that he invites the Mage to join the Herdsmen as tactical support. Which I think might bite them in the butt later."

"Alright, well, I've already played through this game when it was first released, I love it, it's one of my favorite all time games, but Rose never grew up with video games so this is all new to her. Please be so kind to be careful with spoilers in the comments because we do read those. So with that said, let's get back into it." As Robin said that, Rose pushed the start button to continue the game. A cutscene began to play_:_

_ "Milord, I've just gotten word that strange creatures are attacking a nearby village." A rather tall man in armor informed with urgency. _

_ "We must make haste! Come Elizabeth, and Mimi come as well if you wish to face these monsters with us." Silver stated, the latter toward the mage. The mage silently nodded as she followed the three. As they entered the town, they were met with chaos; buildings on fire, and people scrambling to safety. The screen then transitioned into a battle field. _

_ "Captain! I'm here to help!" A portrait of a young women with short shaggy hair appeared._

"Ooooh, new characters!" Rose said in excitement. "She's kinda cute, I like the tomboyish look she has."

_ "Stephanie thank goodness you made it, are there anymore troops with you?"_

_ "Only this oaf, Elric" She scowled as a pompous looking man appeared on screen. _

_ "Wait my love! It would be an honor to fight by the side of such a radiantly strong women such as yourself._

_ "Ugh, the only thing you'll get is a BOOT TO THE HEAD if you don't shut up already." She sighed in impatience as her portrait disappeared off the screen._

_ "Wait my angel!" The man called after as the cutscene ended. _

_ "_Damn, talk about denied." Robin laughed.

"Just like how you get denied by the ladies!" Gaius smirked_._

"Oh okay, Gaius I see how it is. You better watch yo self." He warned, snapping in a "z" formation.

"Looks like someone's going to need ice for that burn." Rose laughed. "Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that we have a special guest this episode. Gaius the game room monitor!"

"Please, no need to applaud my appearance." Gaius yawned.

"All right, so we have some reinforcements, let's begin the battle." Robins started. "How are you going to approach this Rose?"

"Hmmm..." She said in thought. "Well, let's move Elizabeth back a bit, since she's the healer. She can't take many hits. We should move William a few spaces up since he has pretty good defense. We can also help the situation by routing our troops through the forest... it will lower the enemies accuracy right?"

"That's right, man you're a fast learner." Robin grinned.

"I've always liked chess and anything else with tactics and strategy so I'm really into this. Hold up, let me see what classes Stephanie and Elric are..." She mumbled to herself. "Cavalier and Archer.. .so I'm guessing that means Elric attacks from a distance?"

"Yep."

"Okay, we'll put Elric over here a few spaces behind William. From Stephanie's stats she looks like a good attacker and she looks like a girl who can take a hit, so we'll put her next to William."

"We should put Silver and Mimi in the middle, they make a good team." Robin suggested.

"Mmmm, that sounds like a good plan." She agreed as she placed the characters on individual squares on the grid. "Okay, this should be good, now we just wait for the enemy to advance and attack." She nodded as she ended her turn.

"Oh man, here they come..."

Suddenly sinister music began to play as the invading troops began to move. Since William was the most far ahead, the enemies naturally flocked to him.

"Come on William, dodge!" Rose whispered.

Mounted on his horse, William leaped out of the way, sustaining no damage.

"Alright nice!" Rose chanted happily.

"Wait, I don't think the battle is over yet..." Gaius exclaimed. Suddenly William reeled his horse and he moved in to attack.

"Yes! He got a hit!" Rose cheered.

"Wait... the battle music is still going..." Gaius pointed out. Suddenly a sharp chime went off, as a close up portrait of William appeared on screen.

"HE GOT A CRIT TOO?" Robin shouted. "He is on fire this turn."

"That Willy guy, he's so over powered in the beginning of the game." Gaius said with a shake of his head.

"Yeah... I've noticed that he's kind of hogging all the experience." Rose agreed.

"And he's already on a master class as his default." Robin added.

"It's kinda pretentious how strong he is..." Rose started.

"Yeah, like he's showing off, what a jerk!" Gaius scoffed.

* * *

><p>"Ah... AH... AHCOO-!"<p>

"Frederick are you coming down with something?" Chrom wondered. That was the fifth time he sneezed during their study session in the library.

"Perhaps it's how that saying goes..." Frederick started as he got out a napkin to wipe his nose.

"The one about people talking about you when you're not around?"

"It might be likely..."

"Nah! You worry too much." Chrom reassured. "There you go again, worrying for nothing."

"Well, they call me Fredrick the wary for a reason-AHCHOO!"


	9. Lucky Stars

The leaves began to change into a multitude of warm colors as autumn began to settle itself in. With the School festival nearing, every homeroom class was dedicated to preparing for it.

"Okay, today we're going to be doing measurements for the maid and butler costumes." Robin announced. "Please wait until your name is called and Rose will take your measurements. We'll also start working on table ordainments and decorations, so work on those until it's your turn."

* * *

><p>"Hey Sumia." Rose started as she measured her. She had knocked out measuring most of the class pretty quickly. She only had two people left after her.<p>

"Yeah?"

"You wouldn't mind taking a picture or two for some flyers for our cafe right?

"Oh sure, I would love to!" Sumia smiled. "Maybe something like a still life of a tea set? Or if the costumes come in on time maybe I can take a picture of some of us in them?"

"I think the still life of the tea set would be fine, it seems like it'll be really elegant." Rose said thoughtfully as she wrote on a notepad and said hesitantly. "Okay, next is Lon'qu..." She still felt a bit guilty about the incident at dinner on saturday and had been avoiding him since. This would be her chance to apologize.

"This is stupid." He mumbled. "Let's just get this over with."

"Well, everyone voted and majority wanted the cafe so there's nothing we can do about it." She informed as she measured his board shoulders. His hair was also a spiky mess like he just had rolled out of bed. The thought of Lon'qu being too sluggish and ditzy in the morning to be bothered to fix it was actually a bit cute to Rose, although she would never admit it.

"Are you done yet?" He asked impatiently, snapping her out of her thoughts.

"Well, If you stopped squirming I would have been." She retorted, and then lowered her voice. "Hey, I'm sorry about saturday. I didn't know about your...condition, until Robin told me later. Sorry I was so insensitive."

"Hmmp." He mumbled. "Are we done here?"

"Yes."

"Then stay your distance and we'll call it even." He warned as he walked away.

"Stay your distance and we'll be even." Rose mumbled, mocking Lon'qu's deep husky voice. "I tried to be sincere with him and he has a stick up his-...CHROM, I-I didn't see you there."

"Robin said it was my turn for measurements. Weren't you listening?"

"Uh sorry, I was lost in my own thoughts for a moment." She apologized sheepishly.

"It's okay, I understand planning and organizing this whole thing with Robin must take it's toll."

"Okay, so how tall are you?" Rose asked.

"Five, nine." He answered.

"Good, let me just get your chest and waist measurements and you'll be on your way." She informed. She noticed that compared to Lon'qu, Chrom was much more muscular. Lon'qu wasn't lanky by no means, but was more of a medium build... Wait, why was she even comparing the two?

"Uh Rose? Do you think there's something else I can do besides painting decorations? I'm afraid I'm not very artistic."

"Hmmmm... oh we can make origami flowers as table ornaments." She suggested.

"I don't know how to do origami."

"It's okay, I can teach you. You were the last person I needed to measure anyway." Rose then pushed two desk together to form a small table. She then got out a stack of colored origami paper and handed a few sheets to Chrom. He nodded as he began to watch her hands intently. "Okay this is how you make a flower, make sure you fold it along with me okay?" First you fold it like this... then take this corner and pull it over here... fold it again like this... then when you're done pull it gently and ta da! You have yourself a flower!"

"Hmmmm... I think I almost got it, but the last step is throwing me off."

"You have to fold it like this..." She started, without thinking, she grabbed Chrom's hand and positioned them correctly to where he had to fold.

"Oh! Okay I get it." He nodded. "It doesn't look too bad... but not as good as your's, you being a professional and all."

"Well, practice makes perfect. Oh but, when I was younger I use to always make those little paper stars. You know how they say that if you make a whole ton that your wish comes true? I had thousands littered in containers all over my room." Rose giggled.

"Maybe we should fill little jars of them to put on top of the table cloth?"

"Oh that would be cute!" Rose smiled. The bell then rang, ending class. "Oh we have electives today. I guess I'll see you later?"

"Yep, talk to you later." Chrom waved.

* * *

><p>"Rose! Do you want to go to the tea shop in town with us?" Nowi asked as home economics concluded.<p>

"Ah, I would love to Nowi, but I have to head straight to Dance practice."

"You made the Dance team?" Lissa gasped.

"Yep!" Rose nodded. "Today is my first day of practice."

"Congratulations!" Nowi cheered.

"Yeah congrats, this means that during the weekend you have to join us for tea and cake though." Lissa nodded.

"Sure, I'll be there!" Rose agreed. "I'll see you two later." She waved as she grabbed her duffle bag and headed out the classroom. She went to the locker room, changed into her dance clothes, and went inside the Dance studio and began to stretch.

"Hey, what's up?" Olivia greeted after Rose stretched and warmed up by herself for five minutes.

"I'm okay, I'm excited to see what we're going to be doing today."

"Probably some school festival stuff." Olivia answered. More members filed into the gym, and they were finally ready to begin. The dance team was pretty exclusive. There had to be no more than 15 students in the dance studio at the moment.

"We would like to extend a warm welcome to the new members of the dance team. It was only a handful of you who made it, so you should be proud to make it through the grueling audition." The captain of the dance team announced. "With recruitment out of the way, we can now move forward to our school festival routine. We have a bit of a surprise for this year's routine, as we have enlisted the help of some of some fencing team members."

The team clapped as three members walked into the studio.

"Oh its Inigo." Olivia whispered.

"You know him?"

"He's my baby brother." She smiled. "Well, he isn't a baby anymore, but I call him that out of habit."

"Awww..." Rose laughed softly. "Lucina and Owain are here too..."

"The fencing team was kind enough to lend us three of their talented freshmen to participate in our routine. Some of you maybe wondering why we would need fencers in our routine. Our dance will tell a story if a weeping princess who meets a charming prince. He wipes away her tears and leaves behind his sword. The princess is afraid to even touch the weapon, and is whisked away off stage by one of two soldier girls, who act like onlookers to the story, much like a greek chorus in a play. The solider girl picks up the sword, and gives it to the princess, who is transformed into a knight of her own right. Another prince watches her swordplay and is impressed by her reflexes and beauty and flirts with her. Suddenly the first prince returns and challenges the second prince to a duel. The princess finds out that the first prince isn't as honorable as she though, because during the duel, he kicks the second prince and uses dirty tactics to win. Before the final blow is dealt, the princess defends the second prince. As the two embrace, the first prince recovers and is about to attack the princess, however, the second prince takes the hit for her and falls to the ground. Enraged, the princess strikes the evil prince in vengeance."

"So, we need the fencing team for the swordplay elements of the dance. We will also need two members for the solider girls as their parts involve flag work." The vice captain informed. "So we will hold auditions for the soldier girls. Anyone who wants to learn the dance to audition, grab a flag and follow me."

"Want to be a soldier girl?" Olivia asked.

"Yep! I was just about to ask you the something. Let's go!"

"Lucina will be playing the part of the Princess knight. Owain will play the evil prince, and Inigo will play the hero prince. The rest of the team will work on the background dance of the villagers."

* * *

><p>"You seniors need to work harder. How can you let two juniors outdo you like that and win the part of the soldier girls?!" The captain chided. "Anyway congratulations to Olivia and Rose on winning the part. Please take two flags each for you to practice with. Lucina, Owain and Inigo, thank you for joining us today, practices are every Monday and Thursday. You are all dismissed."<p>

"Rose!" Lucina called, as she ran up to her. "You and Olivia were really good, it was amazing to see you learn the routine so fast."

"Aw thank you, I've been dancing for a while so it gets easy as you go."

"Yes well, this is my first time being in a dance routine so I'm kind of nervous. The sword fighting parts are easy, it's just doing it in time to the music... do you think Olivia and you can help me?"

"Of course, we can totally practice after school in the courtyard or something."

"Oh thank you! I really want to do a good job." Lucina said with determination. Rose smiled, she couldn't help but notice how cute Lucina was when she was so earnest and sincere. "I'll get Owain and Inigo to join us too, they could use the extra practice."

"Yeah sure tomorrow we can meet up and practice a bit." She agreed. Rose then looked over at Olivia and Inigo talking to each other. "It's weird, I didn't know that Olivia even had a younger brother."

"Yeah, Olivia is so shy and quiet, and Inigo... dare I say is so talkative and flirtatious." Lucina agreed, as she watched Olivia end her conversation with Inigo with a hug and a gentle ruffle of his hair. "It's sort of cute though, Olivia is sort of a doting sister. She always tries to make sure that Inigo is doing okay."

"Lucina, we should report back to the fencing captain." Owain said as he approached the two.

"Ah, you're right. We'll talk more later Rose. Bye."

"Later Lucina, Owain." Rose waved. She then walked up to Olivia when the three freshman left the room. "You never told me you had a brother."

"I didn't? I think it was one of those things that never came up in conversation." Olivia said. "I haven't seen him in a few days so I had to check up on him, and make sure that he called mother and stuff." She then giggled, "Inigo is always so ready to prove how grown up and manly he is, I suppose that's how all boys his age are."

"I suppose you're right." Rose laughed. "Boys his age are often very antsy."

* * *

><p>Rose yawned as she entered the classroom that homeroom was in. Dance practice had taken more out of her than she thought it would. She walked up to her desk, wait... something was different... She rubbed her eyes to make sure it wasn't just the fact that she was tired and that she was really seeing straight. Her desk was filled with little paper stars, tons of them. They were made with holographic paper and gleamed in the light. "...Where did all these paper stars come from?" She smiled. A chuckle in response could be heard beside her.<p>

"I take it from your wide grin that you like them?" Chrom asked.

"Yeah, they're really pretty!"

"I'm so glad because my first fifty were gods awful." He chuckled.

"Chrom... you made these?"

"Yeah, I got a bit curious about them when you mentioned them yesterday, so I went online and learned how to make them."

"Awww... well thank you, it certainly made my day!"

"I'll put them back in the jar now."

"No, wait until the end of class, I want to look at them some more!"

"Oh, okay, if you insist." Chrom agreed, as he took his seat.

"Morning Rose!" Sumia greeted

"Morning Sumia!" She smiled.

"You look like you're in a good mood today."

"Yep! Look at all these paper stars!" Rose giggled.

"Oh they're so cute!" Sumia observed. "I wish I could make some of my own, but I'd probably end up with a hand full of paper cuts since I'm so clumsy."

"Awww don't be so negative Sumia."

"Are the paper stars the reason why you're so cheerful?"

"Mhmmm! I have a feeling today is going to be a great day!" Rose exclaimed.

Just then, Robin walked into the classroom. "Yo Goggle Chrom, what's up bro?" He greeted as he walked up to his best friend's desk. "Chrom...? Heeeeeell-ooooooo?" He waved his hand in front of his face.

"W-what? Oh Robin, when did you get here?"

"Welcome back to earth space cadet." He joked. "Why are you so out of it?"

"No reason."

"Oh yeah? Why is your face so red then?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Oooooh, I see what it is, thinking about a crush, eh?"

"N-no! What in the world would give you that idea?"

"It's okay your secret's safe with me, lover boy!" He smirked as he grabbed Chrom and pulled him into a light choke hold and began to bombard him with noogies.

"Robin please!" Chrom exclaimed as his hair became a tasseled mess.

"Oh Chrom you're so naïve to think you can hide stuff from me." Robin laughed, but then released him when he heard giggling behind him. He turned to see his sister talking merrily with Sumia. "What's she so happy about? Did something good happen to her?"

Chrom instantly seized up in nervousness. "How should I know?"

* * *

><p>"Thanks for letting play with the paper stars Chrom." She said as homeroom ended and she began to gather them into a glass jar with a ribbon tied to it's neck. "Here you go."<p>

"Oh no, you can keep them."

"Really?! Thank you, but are you sure?" Rose thanked, as she admired the sparingly clear blue container. "Even the bottle is very pretty..."

"It's no problem, you can have it. I glad you like them, I'll see you next class." He said as he rushed out of the classroom.

"Chrom wait!" Rose called, but he was already out the door. "What's gotten into him?"

"Another gift from the hubby?" Olivia asked with a quiet giggle.

"For the last time Olivia, he sees me as a kid sister like Lissa."

Chrom sighed, it felt like his heart was beating out of his chest as he walked to his next class, and began to think, "I almost lost my cool in there, but ugh... she was being so cu-"

"Dude, why did you just bolt out of the classroom like?" Robin asked from behind.

"Yeah man, what's gotten into you Blue?" Gaius asked.

"Don't scare me like that!"

"Why is your face so red-...wait a minute, I was just joking before, but you really do have the hots for someone. She's in out homeroom class isn't she? Who is it?"

"Woah! Blue, you into someone? You gotta give me the deets." Gaius smirked.

Chrom couldn't help but face palm. For a pair of geniuses, Rose and Robin were as daft as they come. However if it meant that his secret would be safe, he was thankful for it nonetheless. "You're an idiot..." He mumbled, as he began to walk ahead, and leaving a confused and baffled Robin behind.


	10. The Iris Twins

"...Five, six, seven eight."

An upbeat pop song started to play, as Rose and Olivia started to dance with rolled up flags to the beat of the music, as the song began to pick up, the two lifted the flags and the cloth unrolled and began to sore through the air. They twirled the flags to the rhythm of the song, until Lucina walked in front of the two. She had a saber in hand and began to swing it. She then twirled it into the air, she positioned herself to catch it but instead of landing in her hands it bounced off her head.

"Ow!"

"Lucina are you alright?" Olivia asked as they ran to see if she was okay.

"Yeah, I'll be fine." She nodded, she then turned to hear some snickering from Inigo. "What's so funny?"

"You just looked so confused when the saber didn't land in your hands." He said in between laughter.

Lucina blushed in embarrassment. "Y-you think this is some kind of joke?!"

"I never said that, I just thought it was cute."

Lucina groaned in frustration. "I have to perfect this routine, I can not embarrass the fencing team like this."

"You're way too serious, maybe if you would relax it would make things easier."

"Now now Inigo, teasing Lucina isn't going to help either." Olivia scolded lightly.

"Sorry Sis..."

"I knew you guys would be out here." Robin called out as he ran out on the courtyard.

"Hey Robin." Rose greeted.

"Don't you 'hey Robin' me, don't you remember that _thing_ we had to do for my class?" He reminded.

"The _thing_...? Ohhh _that thing_, yeah, sorry about that." Rose apologized. "Sorry guys I gotta go."

"Perhaps we should resume this another day?" Owain suggested.

"Yeah that's a good idea." Inigo agreed.

"Well, I'll catch you guys later. Lucina, don't be so hard on yourself. I'm sure you'll get it soon." Rose reassured

"Thank you." She smiled.

"Bye everyone." Robin waved as they walked off.

"So, I thought we were done recording songs for your songwriting class, what are we still doing here?" She inquired as they entered the old music room.

"Yeah we are but I have a few things to iron out." Robin answered. "First of all I few surprises for you."

"Okay... go on..."

"Tada!" He exclaimed as he pulled out a CD. "I burned it into a CD."

"Why didn't you just send the mp3 files to your teacher?"

"Well, I thought it would be nice to give him a physical copy."

"Oh okay..."

"Also, I wanted to ask you how you wanted to be credited. Especially since you wanted to remain anonymous. Is there any penname or something that you want me to put down?"

"Hmmmmm..." She thought briefly, and then her expression changed to one of utmost seriousness. "Lorelei."

Robin's face in response changed to one of concern. Lorelei was the name of Rose's late adopted mother. "Are you sure...?"

"As sure as can be." She said confidently.

"Okay." He nodded. It made Robin worry about Rose a bit, her late mother was always in her mind even now. He tried his best to always be by his sister's side to encourage her and cheer her up, but nothing would ever erase away the heavy pain in her heart from her devastating loss. "...Hey, do you want to go into town for some ice cream? My treat!"

"Really?" She asked with a sparkle in her eye.

"Yep! Go get changed out of your uniform and into some casual clothes and meet me in front of the school gate." He grinned.

"Okay, I'll be there in a half an hour." She said with a bit of a skip to her step as she walked out the door.

* * *

><p>Rose arrived at the front of the school gate, however Robin was nowhere to be found. "I guess I'm early." She thought.<p>

"YO!"

"AH!" She shouted in surprise to see Robin and lightly hit him on his shoulder. "Don't scare me like that you idiot!" She then heard some giggling. "What's that noise?"

"Nothing."

"You're hiding something from me."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Robin, we've been stuck together like glue these past few weeks, it would be weird if I _didn't_ know when you were up to something by now."

"SURPRISE!"

"SWEET GODS" She yelled. A raven haired boy and girl popped up behind Robin.

"AHAHAHAHAAA! You're face is priceless."

"You idiot!" She snapped, this time she slapped him a rather hard hit on the back.

"Ow!"

The two then went up to Rose and gave her a big hug.

"H-hey... what's the big a idea?" she blushed, the two gently snuggling her.

"Nice to finally meet you big sis!" The boy smiled.

"You're really pretty big sis!" The girl smiled as well.

"Big sis?" She said raising an eyebrow.

"Yep! I'm Morgan!"

"And I'm Morgana!"

"Oh! Then you must be the Morgs..." Rose gasped, as she looked at the twins. "Woah, I think I'm going to need to sit down for a sec..."

"Ha, I know it's bit to take in." Robin laughed. "...But here's my little brother and sister. They're going to come with us if you don't mind."

"I don't mind at all."

"Yay!" The two cheered in unison.

As they walked into town, the two bombarded Rose with tons of questions. It was a bit overwhelming, but Rose answered none the less. They finally made it to the Ice cream parlor, and Rose's mouth watered at the selection of different flavors in stock. "There are so many flavors to choose from I don't know what to pick..."

"You can pick as many as you want." Robin informed. "It's my treat remember."

"R-really?" Rose asked excitedly.

"Really, really." Robin laughed.

"You're the best!" She squealed. Sometimes she forgot that Robin was a heir of a rich family. "I want strawberry, cafe mocha, chocolate chip cookie dough..."

In the end, Rose ended up getting 7 cups of different ice cream flavors and sat down at a table. Morgan sat next to her.

"Hey, I wanted to sit next to sis." Morgana piped up.

"Whelp, you were too slow." Morgan said playfully as he stuck his tongue out as Morgana pouted.

"Hey, it's okay Morgana, you can just sit next to me." Robin said changing the subject.

Morgana stood and thought for a second. "Okay!" She smiled, her tune chipper once more. Rose couldn't help but notice the childish exuberance of the Morgs. It was actually a bit cute to her.

"Wow Rose, that's a lot of Ice cream." Morgan noticed. "You eat just as much as Robin."

"Yeah, she does, but I didn't even take that much." Robin laughed.

"Oh yeah, five cups of ice cream isn't an overwhelming amount either." Rose mocked.

"Hey sis, how did you met big bro?" Morgana asked innocently.

"Oh um... Chrom got us to meet up." She answered.

"But... how did you know that Robin was even you're twin and that he was even exisited?" Morgan questioned.

"Well... um..."

"HEY, Morgana, what clubs did you join?" Robin suddenly interrupted, sensing this line of questioning was making Rose uncomfortable. He didn't want to make her feel bad by bring up her mother in public like this.

"Oh... I joined the literature club." She said cheerfully.

"I joined as well." Morgan informed.

"Well that's a big coincidence because I joined that club too." Rose nodded.

"Literature club will be so much fun then!" Morgana cheered.

"What hobbies do you have Rose?" Morgan asked.

"Uh, well I dance, and I like knitting."

"Knitting? What do you make?" Robin inquired.

"I make hats, bags, scarves, skirts, and just basically anything that interest me."

"Will you make me something Rose?" Morgana asked.

"Me too, me too!" Morgan said excitedly.

"Of course!" Rose nodded. "Did you join any other clubs?"

"We both joined the Art club." Morgan informed.

"Oh you two draw?"

"Yep, and paint and sculpt." Morgana nodded.

"Wow, I would love to see your work, both of you." Rose smiled.

"Well, during the school festival there's going to be an art gallery." Morgan said.

"I'll be sure to go see it then." Rose assured. "I'm stuffed..."

"Me too, you guys ready to head back?" Robin asked.

"Yep!" Morgan and Morgana said together.

The four walked out of the ice cream parlor, and headed back toward school. "I'm so full, I can't walk..." Rose mumbled. "Carry me Robin."

Robin sighed and then lowered himself down. "Climb on."

"Are you seriously going to give me a piggyback ride?"

"Hurry up before I change my mind."

Rose then climbed onto Robin's back, and then he hoisted both himself and Rose up. "Wow, you're not as heavy as I thought you would be. You're actually kind of light."

"Haha very funny." Rose mumbled. The four chatted merrily as they continued their trek back to campus. Rose felt her eyes getting kind of heavy along the way. "Too much ice cream" she mumbled.

* * *

><p>"Rose... Rose wake up!"<p>

"Robin...?" She murmured sleepily.

"Oh my gods, I can't believe you feel sleep back there. We're back at school." Robin informed.

"Oh sorry..." She apologized as she jumped off of Robin's back.

"I'm going to head back to my dorm room, I'll see you tomorrow."

"Okay." She nodded.

"It was nice meeting you Rose." Morgan smiled as he pulled her into a hug.

"It was nice meeting you too Morgan, and you too Morgana." Rose laughed as Morgana joined into the hug too.

"See you tomorrow Morgan, Robin." Morgana waved as she headed in the direction of the girl's dorm with Rose.

"Bye bye!" Morgan waved back.

Rose listened intently as Morgana talked about various things. "I'm so glad that you met Robin!" Morgana said.

"Why is that?"

"Because now I have a big sister, I always wanted a sister!" She cheered. "Sometimes it gets overbearing being around boys all the time at home. That's why I like staying at the dorms so much."

"Well, I promise to be there for you whenever I can." Rose smiled. "Say, who's your dorm mate?"

"Cynthia!"

"Cynthia?"

"I think you may know her older sister Sumia."

"Oh! Yeah she's in my classes!"

"Yeah, Cynthia is lots of fun to hang out with."

"Well, I'm glad."

"My dorm is on this floor." Morgana started. "Is it okay if I come to your dorm to play sometime?"

"Of course! I would love it if you did." Rose couldn't help but giggle at the fact that Morgana still used the word "play" to spend time with someone. " I'll see you later!"

"Bye bye sis!" She hugged, and then got off the elevator and went on her way.

Rose got off at her own floor, tired and full from all the ice cream she ate, she opened the door and entered her dorm room.

"Hey Rose, what's up?" Olivia said, looking up from a book she was reading.

"I went out with Robin and met Morgan and Morgana, his adopted brother and sister."

"Did you have fun?"

"Too much fun, I ate so much my stomach hurts...oh gods help." She cried as she flopped on her bed.

A silent moment passed by as Olivia continued reading, suddenly an idea popped into her head. "Hey Rose..."

No answer, she was met with rather loud snoring coming from Rose's section of the room.

"Typical Rose." Olivia laughed, as Rose sleep deeply.

* * *

><p><strong>Bonus<strong>:

"Robin, where are you taking me?" Lon'qu asked rather suspiciously. Everyone around him has been acting very strangely around him today... he couldn't put his finger on why.

"Just relax." He reassured.

"I will relax once you get this blindfold off of me."

"I did."

"Then why is it still so dark...?"

"**HAPPY BIRTHDAY!**" Everyone cheered as the lights flashed on, revealing all of his friends along with presents, decorations, and even a cake.

"What manner of sorcery is-..." He squinted in confusion and then his face suddenly lit up in realization. "I forgot today was my birthday."

"We figured as much." Chrom grinned. "That's why we decided to throw this party for you."

"Yeah Giggles, you aren't a very sentimental person to begin with so we thought that you would need a reminder." Gaius laughed as he put a party hat on Lon'qu, he merely grumbled in response. "Don't be so shy, pop a squat!" Lon'qu was ushered to a seat in the dining hall near a table full of presents and a cake.

"Go on, open a present." Chrom urged. Lon'qu was very quiet by nature, so there weren't a lot of people at this party. It was an intimate affair to say the least. He reached out to grab the nearest one.

"To Lon'qu, from Rose..." He read, he looked up at the twins, and was met by a sweet smile from Rose and a thumbs up and wink from Robin. He looked around, she was the only girl here to his relief. It was a colorfully wrapped, and Lon'qu carefully ripped off the packaging. "An electric Heating pack...and what is this booklet?"

"A coupon book for back massages. You always look very stiff from Kendo practice, so I thought you probably get a lot of sore muscles." Rose informed cheerfully. "You seem like the type of person who would like practical gifts more."

"Why don't you use a coupon now Giggles?" Gaius suggested. "You're always complaining about how sore you are after practice."

"F-fine." He agreed reluctantly. If it would get his roommate Gaius to stop pestering him then so be it. Rose rolled up her sleeves, Lon'qu shuddered nervously as she approached him. She then began to massage his shoulders. Wait... why was it so relaxing?

"Awww, Giggles is blushing." Gaius laughed. "I guess it's not everyday you get special treatment from a cute girl."

"Shut up." He growled.

"He really is like a cat, he's practically purring." Robin snickered. Lon'qu's face wrinkled in embarrassment. He hated to admit it, but it was helping his back muscles relax, even though his heart was beating a mile a minute at the mere thought of a girl being so close to him.

"You're pretty good at this Rose." Chrom pointed out.

"Well, I use to do this every night when my mom came back home from work since I was little, so practice makes perfect I guess?" Rose laughed. "You should also try mix cherry juice into your drinks, Lon'qu."

"Cherry juice?"

"Yeah, it helps relax sore muscles." She informed. "That will be one coupon please!"

Lon'qu handed her one coupon from the booklet.

"How do you feel Lon'qu?"

Lon'qu twisted his back to get a sense of how sore they were, and miraculously all the soreness was practically gone. "Better."

"Well that was a well given present. Now let's have some cake!" Gaius said hastily.

"But he only opened one present." Chrom retorted.

"Yeah well, cake waits for no one." Gaius informed.

"You mean _you_ wait for no one when it comes to cake." Robin sighed. "It's Lon'qu's decision since it's his birthday."

"Whatever." He murmured, still in a daze because of the fact that a girl even touched him.

"I'm taking that as a yes, let's eat!" Gaius cheered. Lon'qu sighed, sometimes his friends were just too much to handle, even if they were trying to do something nice for him.

* * *

><p><em><span><strong>Author's note:<strong> Sorry for such a short chapter, this chapter, and the past few chapters are just plot set up for something much much bigger that's going to happen in the story later, so I appreciate your patience and viewership._ Things will make much more sense later on. ALSO HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY BOY LONNY Q, WOW WHAT A CUTIE.


	11. Just one Piece

Rose eagerly opened the oven door, as a swirl of cinnamon wafted out. She pulled the two pies out and put them on the counter to cool. Finally after an hour or two of cooking in home economics, her pies were done. "Hey Nowi, how did your pies come out?"

"Okay I guess." she nodded. "WOAH what's that smell!" She sniffed as she slowly went up to Rose's pies. "Wow that smells amazing! Is it apple?"

"Oh thank you, and yes it is."

"I made mine blueberry."

"That sounds pretty good!" Rose smiled. "Hey Lissa what kind of of pie did you make?"

"Strawberry!" She cheered. "Although... mine came out kinda lopsided.

"I'm sure it still taste wonderful!" Rose reassured.

"Hey ladies." Gaius greeted suavely, he was met with several suspicious stares. "Why are you all giving me that look?"

"We know you're just here because you want a piece of our pies." Lissa explained.

"W-what? I am shocked in appalled that you three would think so lowly of me. I just wanted to strike up a conversation." He said with hurt in his voice, holding his hand to his chest.

"Sorry Gaius didn't mean to offend you like that." Rose apologized.

"It's okay..." He started. "If you give me a piece of your pie I'll forgive you Bubblena."

"Ugh... you know what? I take back my apology." Rose sighed. "What flavor is you's Gaius?"

"It's an everything pie!"

"An everything pie...?"

"Yeah, I just took all the different fruit fillings I could find and put it in."

"Interesting..." Lissa said. "Maybe it'll taste good, like some kind of undiscovered pie flavor!"

"Thanks Princess, then the whole world will know of my genius!" Gaius said with determination.

"Somehow I really doubt that..." Rose muttered.

"Aw come on Bubblena, have some faith in me!" Gaius sighed as the bell rang.

"Thanks class for cleaning up so well, I hope you had fun baking, have a nice day!" Tiki announced, ending class.

"Hmmm... I think I'm going to give Robin a slice of pie." Rose thought out loud.

"Aww that's a great idea." Lissa agreed. "I'll see you later then?"

"Okay, later Lissa, bye Nowi!" She waved as she left the classroom. "Now, if I remember correctly, Robin has music practice today... I think it's in one of the newer music rooms?" She said to herself. When she got the music wing of the school, she peeked in one of the rooms. "No one in here...or here..." She said, but then hear the sound of a guitar and followed it to a room at the end of the hall. "Aha! Found you!"

"Well I guess you have. Did you need something?" Chrom asked holding his guitar, he looked as though he stopped mid-song when Rose popped in.

"Sorry, I was just looking for Robin." She informed.

"You're welcome to stay until he gets here. I had a free period last period so I usually come here and practice before the others arrive." He pulled up a chair next to him. "Have a seat."

"Okay sure." Rose agreed as she put down her things and sat. "So, what exactly do you guys do in music club?"

"We just practice for performances usually. Lately we've been practicing for our School festival show."

"That's sounds cool, I'm looking forward to seeing your performance."

"Well, if you want, I could play you one of our newest song right now, just don't tell Robin, it will be our little secret." He winked.

"Oh wow! I would love that!" Rose said excitedly. Chrom took a seat beside her, and switched from his electric guitar to his acoustic one.

"You ready?" He asked, and was met with an eager nod from Rose. He began the song by strumming the opening riff and began to sing:

_When I stretch out my hands, it seems as though I can reach it__  
><em>_My wasted dream was burnt by the sun that will set one day_

_I don't know where I'm headed to__  
><em>_Passing through the night on a roar_

_I can't patch the hole in my heart__  
><em>_Even the love spills out and falls_

_Killing me, with a kiss so sweet it seems it may break me__  
><em>_Surely I won't wake up from my dream, stop the world__  
><em>_I want to melt forever__  
><em>_I won't open my eyes, ah broken time _

_Hold high the righteous carry__  
><em>_Paint it out to the end of the world_

_You laugh innocently, pretending not to know__  
><em>_The rolling future is at your fingertips_

_Killing me, with a kiss so sweet it seems it may break me__  
><em>_Surely I won't wake up from my dream,_

S

_Stop the world I'll never collapse__  
><em>_Because now, I've found love; ah broken time_

_Killing me, with a kiss so sweet it seems it may break me__  
><em>_Surely I won't wake up from my dream, _

_Stop the world__ b__efore you're never by my side again__  
><em>_Kiss me, with a kiss so sweet it seems it may break me__  
><em>_Surely I won't wake up from my dream, stop the world__  
><em>_I want to melt forever__  
><em>_I won't open my eyes, ah broken time_

Rose was mesmerized by Chrom's guitar playing and the soft but strong and husky tone to his voice. She clapped when he finished the song, and Chrom merely rubbed the back of his head shyly in response. "That was really good!"

"Ah, thank you. Robin wrote the instrumentals and I wrote the lyrics."

"You're quite the poet." Rose started. "What's the inspiration behind this song?"

"Uh, I don't know... it's kind of embarrassing..."

"Aw, you can tell me! I won't tell a soul or judge you."

"Well... okay. There's this girl I like... and I guess I wanted to put into words how I imagined being with her would be like."

"Awww! That's so sweet! You shouldn't be so shy and tell her you're feelings Chrom, I'm sure any girl would be excited if it's from you."

"Yeah... it's hard though, because she's kind of oblivious to those kind of things..."

"Awww that's too bad."

"But anyway, what did you need Robin for?" Chrom asked, changing the subject.

"Oh!" Rose exclaimed as she dug through one of her tote bags. "I baked some pies today in Home Economics, would you like some? I wanted to give some to Robin too."

"I would love some." He agreed. With that Rose took out some paper plates and a plastic knife and began to cut the pie.

"Yo, Blue, what's shaking? Hey! Bubblena, what are you doing here?" Gaius asked as he walked in.

"I wanted to give Robin some pie."

"What about good ol' Gaius?"

"What about Gaius?"

"Oh Bubblena, my maiden, your words wound me..." He said as he clutched the place where his heart was.

"You made some pies of your own during Home Economics, what happened to them?" Rose asked.

Then with the most blank and nonchalant look, Gaius simply said, "I ate them".

"Already?! It's only been a half hour since class ended."

"Yeah well, pie waits for no one." He stated and then sniffed. "Is that apple?"

"Maybe."

"Bubblena pleeeeeeease, after all we've been through, please give me a piece!" Gaius begged, he even gave a big pout.

"Ugh... okay fine."

"Yes! I knew I could count on you Bubblena!" He thanked like a boy on Christmas day.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, just take your piece already." She said as she shoved a plate full of pie toward him. "Here's some for you Chrom."

"Thank you." Chrom thanked, and then took a bite. "Woah..."

"Oh no, is it bad?" Rose panicked.

" No, it's really good!" Chrom exclaimed.

"Yeah Bubblena, you really outdid yourself." Gaius agreed. The two continued eating until the tall silent brunet walked in.

"Chrom, Gaius." Lon'qu nodded, then froze when he saw Rose and growled in frustration.

"Hi Lon'qu, want some pie that I baked?" Rose smiled, trying to be friendly as she could be despite Lon'qu's hostility.

"Not for nothing Bubblena, but Giggles here isn't too keen on treats." Gaius informed. "I would know, he's always on my case about my stash."

"Why am I not surprised." Rose shrugged. "Lon'qu never doesn't want to do anything remotely fun."

"Basically." Gaius agreed, Lon'qu was about to speak up, but Gaius interrupted him. "Stabbing people does not count, that's only fun for you."

"You know, when you think about it Lon'qu is basically a very grumpy cat." Rose thought out loud.

"Dude! I was thinking the same thing the other day." Gaius agreed, and then wafted his pie in front of Lon'qu. "Oh man, this pie is really good Lon'qu, you're really missing out. You sure you don't want any?"

"Come on guys, don't patronize Lon'qu like that." Chrom chided.

"If I have a piece, will you two shut up?" He grumbled. Rose and Gaius nodded innocently in response. He sighed as Rose cut him a piece and passed it to him on a plate. He then slowly took the plastic fork and broke off a piece. Rose and Gaius watched in anticipated as he put the pie in his mouth.

"Well... how is it?" Rose asked. She didn't know why she was so nervous in the first place.

"Acceptable." Lon'qu uttered.

"W-what does that mean?" She whispered hastily toward Gaius.

"It means he likes it Bubblena." Gaius translated.

"R-really?!" Rose said with a excited twinkle in her eye. "Yahoo!" She jumped happily into the air.

"What's all this excitement for?" Robin asked as he walked into the room.

"Just sharing the pie that I made in Home Economics, and Mr. Gumpy cat Lon'qu liked it!"

"I'm not a cat." He stated bitterly.

"Lon'qu... eating sweets and liking it?" Robin asked raising an eyebrow. "Ha! He totally is a cat!" He laughed as he ruffled Lon'qu's hair.

"Don't. Touch me." Lon'qu glared.

"Yes sir." Robin gulped. "Well anyway, we should start practice. That means that you gotta go." He said, pointing to Rose.

"But-"

"No buts, our performance for the school festival is top secret, so no sneak previews!"

"Awww... okay if you say so." She said as she smiled at Chrom. He flashed a grin and a wink in return and looked away.

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing." Rose muttered.

"Well anyway, I'll see you at dinner, sayonara." He said as he pushed her out of the room.

Rose sighed as the music room door closed on her and began walking away. She thought about the song Chrom sang. "What a sweet song... what girl would be so oblivious not to notice Chrom's feelings toward her anyway? Whoever she is, she must be a total airhead!" Rose thought to herself as she walked back to her dorm.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's note<strong>: Sorry for another short chapter, I just wanted to post this and get it out of the way because next chapter begins the school festival, get hyped!_


	12. Festival Prep

Rose slowly stretched and yawned as she got out of bed. The sun seeped through their curtains that hung over the windows, the sun already risen over the horizon. The clock flashed 8am, today would be a long day and even the day or two afterword, for today was the day before the school festival. Classes were dismissed Thursday in order to prepare for the festival which would last friday and saturday. The homecoming dance would take place Saturday night.

She eagerly went to the bathroom to shower and get ready, excited for her first Ylisse Academy Festival. Rose put her hair into her signature ponytails, and put on some casual clothes for the occasion, since technically it wasn't school hours. Olivia wasn't in the room, so she assumed that she already went down for breakfast. Rose walked down to the dinning hall, and walked up to the food service line and piled a stack of pancakes onto her plate.

"Hey Rose!" Cherche greeted. Sitting at the table was Sumia and Cordelia as well.

"Morning everyone! Tomorrow's the big day!" Rose said cheerfully.

"So I'm guessing your excited for your first school festival?" Cordelia wagered.

"Mhmm! We never had anything like this at my old school. Well, we had spirit week, but it's kind of boring and overrated in my opinion."

"Well, you won't be disappointed because our school festivals are the best!" Sumia cheered.

"Yeah, they are pretty fun despite the work." Cherche agreed. "What's your class doing for their exhibition?"

"Oh, well Cherche and I's class are doing a haunted house maze." Cordelia informed. "What about you two?"

"We're doing a maid and butler Cafe." Sumia replied.

"A maid and butler cafe? Sounds cool!" Cherche smiled.

"I'll be sure to come visit then." Cordelia nodded.

"Cordelia you just want to see Chrom in a butler suit don't you?" Cherche grinned slyly.

"N-no!" Cordelia exclaimed.

"Whatever you say hun." Cherche laughed.

"Well, I'm going to head to homeroom now and start organizing what we have to do today." Rose said as she got up from her seat.

"Oh, you're a class representative right?" Cordelia asked.

"Yep! I have to make sure we finish everything on time." Rose nodded.

"Okay, see you later, good luck." Cordelia waved.

"I'll meet up with you a bit later." Sumia informed.

"Bye Rose." Cherche said.

"Bye." She replied back as she headed to her homeroom classroom. "Morning everyone!" Rose greeted as she walked in.

"Mornin' Rose." Donnel greeted.

"Sup, the Teach is roaring and ready to go!" Vaike grinned.

"That's good, because we're going to need you to have that energy to move furniture around." Rose chuckled.

Suddenly Frederick came in carrying a couple of large boxes. "Miss. Rose, the table cloths that we ordered just arrived."

"Oh great! Put those over there." Rose instructed. "Also, for the last time, just call me Rose."

"Very well." He nodded.

"Hey everyone." Robin yawned as he walked in the room. "As soon as everyone's here we're going to be moving tables into our exhibition room for the festival." He then turned to Rose, and gave her a slight ruffle of her hair. "Hey short stuff, how are you doing today?"

"Robin, stop calling me short stuff, I'm not _that_ much shorter than you." Rose huffed with her hands on her hips.

"But you're still shorter than me, therefore, I'm allowed to called you short." He grinned. Rose merely sighed in defeat.

"My Ma and Pa just texted me that they'll be comin' tomorrow. It's kinda embarrassing." Donnel said sheepishly. "But I'm sorta lookin' forward to showin' 'em around school."

"Yeah, teach's old man is coming by as well." Vaike informed.

Rose lightly tugged on Robin's sleeve. The two hadn't been together for too long, but Robin knew by now that whenever Rose was nervous about something she would instinctively cling to him out of habit. "What's the matter?" He whispered.

"Are... your parents going to be here tomorrow?" Rose murmured, a bit of worry in her voice.

"I think so..." He thought out loud. "Don't worry about them though, just have a good time okay?"

"What if they don't like me? I'm not exactly of noble upbringing..."

"Even by some cruel twist of fate that they did think that way, I could really give a rat's ass about what they thought of you. You're my sister, and nothing in the entire world ever's going to pull us apart again. I promised that and I never back down from my word." He reassured. "Okay?"

"Okay..." She nodded.

The classmates idly chatted about various things, as the rest of the class slowly trickled in.

"All right everyone, thanks for coming today. We have a lot of stuff to get done, so we better get to it. First thing we need to do is moved the tables and chairs to exhibition room. Then from we'll set up all the decorations, and organize the stock of food that we have for tomorrow as well as give everyone their costumes." Robin informed.

Donnel, Kellam, Vaike, Frederick, and Chrom; do you mind helping me move some tables?" Rose asked.

"Sure thing ma'am." Donnel agreed.

"I'll be right there." Chrom nodded.

"Don't worry, the Teach got this." Vaike assured. The five boys followed Rose to the storage room. Rose flicked the switch as she looked down at her clipboard. Okay, we have to bring about 20 tables to the exhibition room. It's in the front wing of the school right?"

"You would be correct." said Fredrick.

"Alright, let's get moving boys." She said as she gripped a table.

"Woah, Rose, it's okay that's what we're here for." Chrom exclaimed as he lightly put a hand on her shoulder.

"Nonsense, can't have you guys doing all the work." She grinned.

"Yes but if it's too heavy-" Chrom started, but then stopped mid sentence when he saw her easily lift the table by herself. "Okay, never mind... just let me hold the other side to distribute the weight at least." He uttered in disbelief, as he rushed to the other end of the table that Rose was hold. The other followed suit, as they grabbed tables of their own and began moving them across the school until they finally finished.

"Nothing like a bit of light exercise in the morning." Vaike yawned.

"Oh you think we're done?" Rose laughed as they walked back toward homeroom."We still have to move the boxes filled with decorations, and the table cloths we just received."

"Heh! No problem." Vaike grinned flexing his muscles.

"This is a big problem..." Robin mumbled in thought as they walked back in the room.

"What are we going to do?" Sumia sighed.

"What's the matter?" Rose asked.

"There was a mixup with the wholesale distributors of the coffee beans and tea. They didn't get our order for some reason..." Olivia said with a frown.

"I could go into town and get some from the market." Rose suggested. "It maybe a bit more expensive but we can't have a cafe without coffee or tea."

"That would help so much, thanks Rose. Here's the money. Since it was my responsibility to order it, I'll pay for the difference in budget." Robin said as he pulled out his wallet and handed her a handful of gold. "Hey Tharja, can you go with Rose to pick up some stuff in town?"

Rose instinctively stepped on Robin's foot.

"OW! What was that for?"

"I don't feel comfortable going with Tharja." She whispered.

"Why not?"

"First day of school she kissed me without my consent."

"You too? She pulled the same stunt on me freshman year. " He gasped. "We'll talk about that later... You know what? Never mind Tharja, we need you more here. Chrom, you're someone I can trust and isn't insane, help Rose carry some stuff from the store please?"

"Sure no problem." Chrom agreed.

"Thanks Chrom." Rose said. "We'll be back in a hour or so."

"Okay later." Robin nodded.

As Chrom opened the door leading out of the school building, Rose felt a rush of cool autumn air hit her body.

"It's kind of brisk out here." Rose smiled.

"Are you cold? I could give you my jacket."

"No, I'm fine don't worry. It's just really refreshing when the wind hits you like this." Rose laughed.

"Now that you mention it, it kind of is." Chrom agreed. "What's you're favorite season?"

"Summer! The days are long and there are so many things to do. Whenever I think of summer I think of freedom. What about you?"

"I'm actually particular to autumn myself. I like that it's not too warm or too cold. I like to see the leaves change color, and not to mention all the great seasonal flavors."

"All those reasons do sound pretty good." Rose agreed.

There was a bit of silence in the air for a moment; all you could hear were the crunching of dried leaves underneath their feet as they walked until Chrom spoke up. "This maybe a silly question but are you and Robin getting along okay?"

"Why do you ask that?"

"I don't know if it was just my imagination, but you two seemed a bit off earlier this morning." He was met with silence for a minute or two before he decided to speak again. "If you're not comfortable with talking about it, it's okay, don't force yourself."

"No it's not that. To be honest, I feel like I can talk to you about pretty much anything Chrom." She smiled. Chrom merely turned his head away from her bashfully for a second. "I was... just looking for the right words to explain how I'm feeling I guess."

"I'm honored that you feel like you can talk to me so easily now." He chuckled. "I remember when it was visibly clear that something was bothering you and you still wouldn't tell me what's wrong."

"Well, to be honest, I'm a bit shy about those types of things around new friends, but now I know you well so I can trust you easier."

"Makes sense."

"The thing that's been bothering me though... I'm a bit nervous because Robin's parents are coming to the festival tomorrow, and I don't think they know about me yet. What if they don't like me? What if they hate me so much that they don't want Robin to have anything to do with me anymore?"

"Well there is a possibility of that happening, but I think it's a really slim one. Even if on the off chance that were to happen, I don't think that would stop Robin. You two are stuck to each other like glue, and I don't think anything in the world could change that."

"I guess your right."

"Did you met the Morgs yet?"

"Yep, a few days ago."

"How did it go?"

"They seemed to really like me, and I really like them. They were already calling me 'big sis' and gave me lots of hugs, and honestly they were so cute."

"See? If they receipted you that well, I'm sure Robin's parents won't be so bad."

"Yeah, you're right..."

"Just be yourself, with a personality like your's, I'm sure things will go fine." Chrom assured.

"Aww thank you." Rose smiled. They had finally reached town after that conversation, and walked toward the market.

"Is this your first time here?" Chrom asked.

"Yeah, it is." She nodded. "I've only been to the Bookstore and the Ice cream parlor here in town."

"We need to change that soon." He smiled. "Hmmm... what kind of tea should we get."

"We should get a bunch of different flavors! I think that's the best thing about cafes; the variety that they have!"

"True." He agreed.

"We should also get a lot of different coffee creamer flavors." She started. "They make coffee taste soooo good!" This statement was met with a laugh from Chrom. "What's so funny?"

"No, it's just that I'm surprised you would say something like that, it's so feminine of you... well, I mean to say that the way you drink coffee is pretty feminine."

"Black coffee is just, YUCK! Hey wait... are you trying to say that I'm not feminine?!"

"To be fair, you are quite tomboyish most of the time." He chuckled. "You didn't even need my help to move those tables. I guess it strikes so much of a chord with me because I'm always around girls like Lissa."

"Okay, Lissa is pretty dainty, I'll give you that much."

"I think you should take it as a compliment, you're a strong and resilient girl."

"Oh, thank you..." She thanked.

"We should probably go over the list to see if we missed anything."

"Let's see... tea, coffee, sugar, cream, milk... looks like we got everything."

"We don't have to buy any food right?"

"Nope, Gaius is actually making all the cakes and treats. He's actually pretty good at cooking, you should see him in my home economics class." Rose informed.

"How do we know Gaius won't eat everything he makes...?" Chrom asked skeptically.

_Meanwhile in the home economics room..._

"Yo Gaius, how's everything going?" Robin shouted as he entered the room.

"YEOWCH!"

"Gaius you okay?!" Robin asked as he rushed to Gaius' side.

"No..." He whimpered, there were tears building up in the corner of his eyes.

"He was going to eat our merchandise." Lon'qu glared.

"THAT DOESN'T MEAN YOU HIT MY HAND WITH A WOODEN SPOON!" Gaius sobbed bitterly. "Besides, the chief always has to taste what he cooks to make sure that it's not poisonous."

"Uh, isn't it to make sure that it taste good?" Robin corrected.

"In this case it's not necessary, since the chief will probably eat everything in sight in one sitting." Lon'qu retorted.

"Okay... well... just wanted to see how things are progressing." Robin said. "Good work Lon'qu."

"What about me?! I'm the one doing all the work, and it's torture to have to look but not touch..." He sniffled.

"_I guess_ you're doing okay too..." Robin said as he gave Gaius a pat on the back.

* * *

><p>"We put Lon'qu on cake patrol to bodyguard everything Gaius makes." Rose laughed.<p>

"Well, if it's Lon'qu he'll get the job done." Chrom grinned joining in their laughter, as they reached the register.

"Oh my, what's all the coffee and tea for?" An elderly lady at the cash register asked.

"Our school festival is tomorrow. We're doing a cafe." Chrom informed.

"Oh you must be from Ylisse Academy then. I wish my grandson was studious enough like you two, to get into a precious school like Ylisse."

"You are too kind madam." Chrom smiled. "We would be honored if you stopped by the festival tomorrow."

"Oh sure, I'll go during my break." She nodded. "Your total is 134 gold."

Rose took out her wallet and paid with the money Robin had given her. "Chrom, you don't have to take so many bags, I have arms too you know. My hands even have opposable thumbs."

"It's okay, I got it. The whole reason I was sent here was to carry things anyway."

"I'm still not letting you carry everything." Rose said as she took a few bags away from him.

"If you insist." Chrom said. "Have a nice day ma'am."

"You too." She smiled, and then whispered to Rose. "He's a keeper."

Rose merely laughed as they walked out of the store. "Speaking of which..." She thought, and then turned to Chrom. "Hey did you ever tell that girl that you like about how you feel yet?"

"No, not yet."

"You should do it at the school festival. Dedicate the song you wrote to her during the music club performance." Rose suggested. "I think that would make any girl happy."

"Ah yeah..."

"Something wrong?" Rose asked with a slight frown.

"It's just that I don't think I'm ready to tell this girl my feelings." He started, rubbing the back of his head bashfully.

"Why not? You're a really wonderful guy Chrom!" She grinned with a slight hit to Chrom's back.

"Heh, thank you." He smiled. "It's just that, I don't think I'm ready for things to change yet. I like just being by her side so much. She's become one of my best friends ever and it's so much fun being around her."

"Oh okay, that's understandable." Rose agreed. "What's she like? What do you like about her?"

"Um... do I really have to talk about it?" He asked, his face a tad flushed.

"Wow Chrom, I didn't know you were the shy type." Rose laughed, a glint of mischievousness in her eyes. "And yeah, you do! I'm super curious now."

"Well, she's insanely smart, but at the same time she's really silly and funny. She's a curious type, always wanting to learn something new. She's also very cheerful, sometimes she's so upbeat it's hard to tell if she's just masking the fact that something is bothering her." He started, his face gradually getting redder as he talked. "She's also very cute..."

"How cute is she?" Rose giggled, she was pretty amused at how embarrassed Chrom was getting.

"So cute that she's so oblivious to how cute she can be. She can be absentminded about a lot of things, and she takes on the world at her own exuberant pace. Maybe that's why she's so unaware of my feelings...?"

"Well, other than the oblivious part, she sounds pretty cool to be around." Rose nodded. "Wait do you hear something...?"

"Is that meowing?" Chrom questioned as Rose followed the sound to a nearby tree. She looked up to see a cat stuck up in a branch."

"Awwww, poor little guy." Rose cooed.

"Perhaps we should call the fire depar-... hey wait, what are you doing?"

"I'm going to get it down myself." She grinned as she began to climb the tree.

"Are you sure? That tree is huge, at least 20 or more feet!"

"Yeah, I climbed trees like this all the time when I was a kid."

"If you say so.." He said reluctantly as he watched her climb up the tree. She easily made it to the branch where the cat was.

"I got it!" She smiled as she began to climb back down.

"Okay good, be careful when you climb back-ROSE!" He exclaimed as he watch her begin to lose her footing.

"I-I'm okay!" She reassured. She was now holding on to a branch with one arm and the cat was in the other.

"I told you it was dangerous!"

"Don't worry, I'm fine." A large cracking noise could be heard from above Rose.

"That Branch is going to snap!"

"I'll get down... somehow..."

"Jump!"

"What?!"

"Trust me, just do it!"

Rose closed her eyes and let go of the branch, feeling the rush of the wind as she fell.

"You all right?"

Rose slowly opened her eyes to see Chrom's face. Somehow he had managed to catch her, and she was resting bridal style in his arms. "Yeah..."

"Don't do that ever again, you practically gave me a heart attack! Robin would kill me if something happened to you on my watch! Not to mention I couldn't live it down myself!" He said angrily.

"I-I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking..."

Chrom sighed as he let her down from his arms. "Is the cat okay at least?"

"Yeah, it's actually a kitten. I think it's paw is hurt though. I guess that's why it was stuck in the tree."

"We could get Cherche to patch him up when we get back."

"That sounds good." She agreed. "You hear that Mar-Mar? We're going to get you fixed up!"

"You already gave it name?" He laughed softly.

"Yep, he's name is Marth." Rose smiled, lifting the black and white cat up into the air. "And look! He's missing a sock." She laughed pointing to the one paw that was black instead of white like the three paws. Rose was simply met with a meow from Marth.

"He is, poor guy!"

"We should get back to campus, everyone is probably wondering what happened to us." Rose said as she put Marth into her messenger bag and grabbed the bags she was previously holding. Two then continued their walk back to school.

* * *

><p>"Look who decided to show up. Took you two long enough." Robin said as Chrom and Rose entered the room they were sitting up in.<p>

"Sorry, we had to make a pit stop..." Rose mumbled sheepishly.

"For what?" Robin asked raising an eyebrow.

Suddenly meowing could be heard in the room.

"What's that noise?" Sumia asked.

"Nothing." Rose answered blankly. Marth then popped his head out of Rose's bag.

"Awwwww!" Everyone cooed in unison as they gathered around Marth and began to pet him.

"Is this why you took so long?" Robin questioned.

"Yes..." Chrom and Rose both said in defeat.

"Rose, you know pets aren't allowed in the dorms." Robin chided.

"Yeah, but it was stuck in a tree all hurt and defenseless! I couldn't just leave Mar-Mar there!" Rose defended. "It hurt it's paw, it needed help."

"Okay but what are you going to do after you help it's paw?" Robin asked. "Wait, you gave it a name already?!"

"Uh... um..."

"I'll take Marth home." Chrom spoke up.

"You will Chrom?!" Rose asked excitedly.

"Yeah, we don't have any pets, and it would be a nice change of pace."

"Wow! Thanks Chrom!" She smiled brightly.

"You can come see Marth anytime you want."

"You're the best Chrom! Yay!" Rose cheered as she picked up Marth. "You hear that Mar-Mar? You're going to have a nice new home!"

"You should go find Cherche so she can take a look at him." Robin instructed.

"Okay, I'll be right back." She nodded as she headed toward the gym, where the other Junior class was setting up. "Why is the gym door locked?" She questioned and then knocked on the door.

"Nya hahahaha! Who is it?" A familiar voice called.

"Rose, I need to talk to Cherche."

"What's the password?"

A second of silence passed, as Marth purred.

"Meow? How did you know that was the password?" The door opened to reveal a wide grin from Henry.

"_It's that weird kid that's rumored to be able to see ghosts..._" Rose thought.

"Oh hey, a kitty!" He then began to gently pet it, and then laughed when Marth licked him. "Nyahahahaha!"

"I need Cherche to clean it's wound on it's paw."

"How absolutely un-_FUR_-tunate!" Henry gasped. "I'll go _tail_ her right away!"

"Thanks Henry."

Rose waited a minute or two, and then Cherche appeared from the gym. "Sorry about that, our class is being top secret about our exhibit." She spoke. "What's up?"

"I found this kitten with a hurt paw."

"Awww you poor thing! Let's go patch you up." She smiled. The two walked to the infirmary to get bandages and other necessitates. "Hello is anyone there?" Cherche called into the room.

"I guess the doctor is out for lunch or something?"

"Oh well, we'll just use this room, they won't mind." Cherche stated as she began to wash the kitten's wound. "How did you find this little one anyway?"

"Well, I was out getting some things for out exhibition with Chrom."

"Ooooh, Sumia and Cordelia will be jealous." She chuckled underneath her breath.

"Did you say something?"

"Nothing, keep going."

"We found him stuck in a tree, and I got him down. I guess he was stuck up there because his paw was hurt."

"Aww poor baby." She said as she applied some ointment, and began to wrap up it's paw. "It should be okay, just has to stay off that leg for a few days."

"Okay, thanks for your help."

"No problem!"

Rose returned to the exhibition room with Marth. The tables were all moved, and everyone was starting to put up curtains and decorations.

"Nice of you to join us." Robin greeted as she entered the room.

"Sorry for the delay."

"What are you going to do about him?" Robin asked pointing toward Marth.

"Uhhh... I guess everyone in class can take shifts watching him?"

"Fine, I'll take the first shift." Robin agreed.

The class took the rest of the day decorating the room, and didn't finish until sunset. The group looked at the room, proud of the work they put in.

"Okay, looks like we're done for the day everyone!" Robin announced. The class cheered in response. "Everyone be here by 8pm tomorrow morning to get dressed for the festival. See you tomorrow!" With that everyone started to disbrust.

"I guess you'll be talking Marth back to your place huh?" Rose asked Chrom.

"Actually, since the festival is this weekend, I don't think I'll be able to stop home until sunday..."

"Does that mean...?"

"You might have to keep him in your dorm for a day or two."

"YES! This is great!" Rose cheered. "Thanks Chrom!"

"Just try to be inconspicuous okay?"

"Don't worry, I won't!" She smiled. "We're going to have so much fun Mar-Mar! Yay! Wait until you meet Olivia, she's super sweet!"

Chrom looked on at Rose with a smile of his on his face. Just what was he going to do with this girl?


	13. Let the School Festival begin!

_**Author's Note:** Hey everyone, thanks for your continued support with your story! Your reviews and feedback really help motivate me, and always put a smile on my face. I was wondering if there are particular characters that you want to see more of. I feel as though I've been focusing a lot on a certain group of characters and was wondering if there were some characters that you want a chapter to focus on. If so, in a review put in the character and a scenario you want to see them in for a chapter special._ I'll try my best to make sure to keep everyone's input in mind.

* * *

><p>"Morning everyone!" Rose and Robin greeted together as they entered the exhibition room.<p>

"You guys ready to rock?" Robin asked with a grin. He was met with a roar of "Yeah!" from the rest of the class. "Alright, let's get changed."

Rose got her uniform and went with the other girls of the class to the girls changing room and quickly got into her sleek back maid outfit. "Hmmm... what should I do with my hair...?"

"I can fix it for you." Olivia suggested.

"Oh okay." Rose agreed.

"What would you like today madam?" Olivia asked playfully.

"Something really cute! Make up too please!"

"Okay, coming right up!" Olivia nodded, as she swiftly Rose's hair into a new hairdo, and then made up her face. "Taaaadaaa!"

"Oh wow! It's really adorable!" Rose smiled as she look into a mirror. The top half of her hair was tied into a messy bun, while the remaining was let lose. "Thanks Olivia!"

"How do I even get into this thing?" Sully shouted. "A little help here?"

"Don't worry I got you Sully." Rose giggled at the sight of Sully struggling with her dress. "Okay first of all, you put it on backwards."

"Oh damn, no wonder it was so hard to put on..."

"There, all done!"

"Wow, Sully, you look super cute!" Sumia complimented.

"Bah, I kind of wish I could wear the butler uniform. Looks way more comfortable." Sully scoffed.

"I think Sully's the type to look good in anything she wears." Olivia smiled.

"I got to go make last minute checks on things, so I'll see you in the room." Rose waved as she hurried back upstairs to the exhibition room. "Looks like the guys are still changing." She thought to herself.

"Hey Rose!"

"Oh hey Donnel, Lon'qu." She greeted as the two walked in after her "Oh hold still Lon'qu, your tie is kind of crooked."

He merely grumbled in response.

"Oh don't be like that, it'll only take a second."

"Say, now that I think about it, you're kind of like the ma of the class aren't ya Rose?" Donnel observed.

"Am I?" Rose laughed.

"Yeah, you're always lookin' out for everyone." Donnel nodded. "It's real nice of ya."

"Now that I look at you, you're hair needs fixing too..." She said as she began to neaten a few locks of his. "There! That's better!"

"Lon'qu looks sharp in a suit doesn't he?" Robin questioned as he walked in, his hair slicked back in neat fashion.

"Yeah... it strangely looks really good on him." Rose agreed.

"S-stop staring at me!" He ordered.

"What? I was just giving you a compliment."

"Aw, Lon'qu here is probably just embarrassed." Donnel laughed.

"Why would he be embarrassed?" Rose asked.

"Maybe Lonny has a thing for maids." Robin snickered, Donnel joined in his laughter.

"Seriously Lon'qu? That's so gross!" Rose retorted.

"Cease this nonsense at once." Lon'qu said with the upmost seriousness in his voice.

"Chill Lon, we were just joking." Robin assured, a bit of laughter still in his voice. Robin then took a look at Rose. "You don't look too bad either. Did you put on make up today?"

"Yep! Olivia put it on for me." Rose smiled happily.

"That's good, be careful though, I don't want any guys sweeping you off your feet... literally. If someone harasses you or one of the other girls you have to tell me, and I'll take care of it. A lot of students our age from other schools come to this event. Teenage boys can be really... forceful..."

"Okay I'll tell the other girls." Rose nodded.

"We should make a secret code or somethin' for when that happens." Donnel suggested.

"Yeah like when you're passing by, whisper to me, LON'QU IS A PERVERT!" Robin shouted.

"IRIS." Lon'qu said angrily.

"What's this about Lon'qu being... you know what, do I even want to know?" Chrom asked as he got back from changing. He was wearing a tuxedo like the rest of the guys, and his hair was neatly styled much like Robin. Chrom froze when he saw Rose.

"Eyyyyy Chrom, looking pretty nice!" Rose complimented as she punched him lightly.

"Yeah dude, you're going to be our money maker today." Robin smirked.

"U-uh... thank you..." he mumbled, looking down at the ground. Suddenly the sound of camera shutters could be heard nearby.

"Anna?! Get out of here! You're not even in our class!" Robin ordered.

"I'm just taking pictures for the school newspaper." She whistled innocently, while batting her eyelashes.

"Yeah right, you just want to take pictures of us so you can sell them and line your pockets!" Robin responded as he defensively shielded Rose.

"Maybe..." Anna said swiftly, she then pointed over in a random direction. "LOOK A DISTRACTION!" All of them turned to the direction she pointed at, as Anna made her quick escape.

"I don't know 'bout y'all but I'm confused as to why we even looked over yonder in the first place." Donnel pointed out.

"I don't know either... it's too early for this..." Robin sighed.

* * *

><p>"Okay! Class 2-4's maid and butler cafe is officially open!" Rose announced as she rang a bell. She was met with cheers from the rest of her classmates. With that, the school festival had began.<p>

"Ugggggh... where is everyone?!" Vaike sighed after a half hour of waiting.

"Relax you dolt, people are still just arriving at the festival." Sully said giving Vaike a slap upside the head.

"OW! The Vaike is getting bored though..."

"Vaike is right though, we should do something to bring in customers." Chrom suggested.

"Hmm..." Robin said in thought. "Olivia and Rose, take my mp3 player and speaker to the front of the school. Frederick, you take these flyers and hand out these to people."

"Huh, why us?" Rose asked.

"You two are part of the dance team. What's cuter than two adorable maids dancing? ...And Frederick? He's the most butler-like out of all of us, duh."

"True, Fredrick is the most polite." Chrom agreed.

"So get to it you three!" Robin instructed, pushing Olivia and Rose out of the room, Fredrick following behind them.

The three walked out to the front of the school. There were a lot of food stands and festival games run by factuality and students a like. A lot of students from different schools were walking about as well.

"I'm nervous..." Olivia mumbled. "This is kind of embarrassing..."

"Ignore the stares, it's not everyday you see cute maids parading around." Frederick reassured.

"Thank you Frederick." Olivia smiled, feeling a bit better.

"I guess we'll stand here." Rose said when they reached the front gate of the school. There were other clubs and classes handing out flyers for their exhibitions. "What songs does he even have on here..." Rose muttered to herself as she began to shuffle through Robin's mp3 player.

"I have my mp3 player in my pocket and it has some cute music on it, maybe we can do some of those para para dances that we do in our dorms for fun?" Olivia suggested.

"Oh yeah, those are pretty easy to do!" Rose agreed. "Alright, let's get started!"

"Let's do that old Chon'sin song, _Night of Fire._" Olivia informed, as she fiddled with the portable speakers for the mp3 player.

"Mhmm sounds good." Rose nodded.

"Five, six, five, six, seven, eight..."

The music began to play, as a techno beat boomed through the street. Hips swayed to the electrifying beat, as their arms moved in intricate motions as the two girls dance perfectly in sync. Soon a large crowd gathered around them, as Frederick passed out flyers and made small conversation with onlookers with his disarming smile. "Please come to our cafe in exhibition room #2 please."

"Sweet damn is that guy hot..." One girl whispered aside to her friend.

"He's really polite too, and has a great smile." She sighed dreamily.

"If all of the guys look like that, then we're totally going!" The third friend demanded.

The song ended and the audience clapped for Olivia and Rose's performance. "Please come to our maid cafe at exhibition room 2, where we'll be serving, snacks, sweets, coffee and tea, all day long!" Rose announced as they took a bow and the three continued to hand out flyers and greet people.

"Long time no see, Rose!" A voice called out.

Rose looked up to see a long, dark haired girl, with the elegance of a princess and a kind smile.

"Say'ri?! Is that you?" Rose gasped.

"Yes, it's me!" She smiled as she ran to give Rose a hug.

"How did you get here all the way from Chon'sin?"

"I got here yesterday so I could come and surprise you! You told me in your letters that your school festival was today."

"Awww... I'm so glad you're here! Olivia, Fredrick, this is my best friend Say'ri, we use to go to school together when I lived in Chon'sin."

"Oh wow, nice to meet you!" Olivia welcomed.

"Pleasure to meet you Say'ri." Frederick greeted.

"We're done handing out flyers, so why don't you come back to the cafe with us?" Rose suggested.

"I would love to!"

"Hey! I don't know what you guys did, but this place is packed now!" Robin grinned when the three returned. "There are tons of guys asking for Rose and Olivia to serve them. Oh, who's this?"

"Robin this is my friend Say'ri, we use to go to school together before I came here. Say'ri, this is my brother Robin."

"So this is the famous Robin I've heard so much about. It's nice to finally meet you." Say'ri greeted.

"Nice to meet you too." Robin said, giving her a firm handshake. "Please take a seat and enjoy our cafe!"

"I will thank you!"

"Is there anyone you want in particular to wait on you?"

"Who do I have to choose from?"

Robin put two fingers to his mouth, as he gave a loud high pitched whistle. "Boys get over here!" In less than a second, all the guys in the class lined up, standing in front of where Say'ri was sitting with perfect posture. "We have Donnel, Lon'qu, Gaius, Chrom, Frederick, Kellam, Vaike, Virion and myself on staff for you today."

"Hmmmm... you all are pretty cute." She laughed. "I'll have to go for Gaius, I have a thing for red heads."

"Nice choice, alright, you heard the lady, get to servicing!" Robin commanded as he lightly slapped Gaius' back.

"Hey doll face, what can I get for you today?" Gaius asked, taking out a notepad, lightly sucking on a lollipop as usual.

"I'll have some green tea, and a piece strawberry shortcake please." Say'ri ordered.

"No problem, I'll have it out for you in no time."

"Rose, Olivia, there are a queue of people requesting you. Rose, you're at tables 2, 7, and 12. Olivia, you're at 6, 14, and 20."

"Okay, got it." Rose nodded as she went to the first of her tables to serve.

"I'll do my best." Olivia said as she started to take the orders of her customers.

"Hi I'm Rose, welcome to the cafe, what can I get for you?" She asked with a friendly smile.

* * *

><p>The Cafe was packed, and there was even a line going out the door. Surprisingly, Tharja was the most requested maid, despite her aloof, devil may care attitude toward anyone that isn't Robin or Rose.<p>

"Isn't it weird that Tharja is so popular?" Sumia whispered toward Rose.

"Who knew she had such a killer figure." Rose whispered back. As much as Rose was still freaked out about the kiss from her first day at Ylisse, she had to admit that Tharja had the nicest body out of all of them. "I guess it's also might be the fact, that some guys like it when they're treated like dirt by girls, what is it, reverse physiology I guess?"

"Probably." Sumia agreed.

"You were pretty popular too!"

"W-what do you mean?"

"Everyone likes a clumsy maid!" Rose smirked.

"I guess so... I'm so clumsy that I've been put tea and coffee making duty." Sumia sighed.

"Aw, don't be so hard on yourself, you're pretty good at making the beverages anyway, and we wouldn't have found that out otherwise."

"Thank you." Sumia smiled softly.

"Rose, you're needed at table 3." Sully informed as she passed by the two.

"Oh okay. I'll talk to you later Sumia." Rose waved.

"Bye!" She waved back, as she continued to make and pour tea and coffee.

"Hello, I'm Rose! How may I help you today?" She smiled graciously.

"Hey babe, are you on the menu?"

"Ha..haha... no..." Rose chuckled nervously.

"Then can I get an iced coffee, and two donuts please." One of the guys at the table ordered. There was something about the way he looked at her that made her uncomfortable, but she tried her best to ignore it.

"What about the rest of you?"

"We'll have what he's having." One of the other guys smirked. Rose's stomach couldn't help but churn at the double meaning of that statement. Suddenly when she turned to go get the orders ready, she felt the stinging impact of a hand on her backside. She froze for a second, too terrified to even turn back around. All she could hear were low sneakers as she ran off to the back room where the cakes were stored.

Lon'qu mumbled in the backroom, as he sorted out his order for the three tables he was currently serving. Poor Lon'qu was practically the only guy who couldn't go on break at the moment. Much to his displeasure, he was very popular with the girls due to his cold, stoic attitude and had been demanded countlessly throughout the day. Suddenly he felt someone bump into him from behind as he was putting cakes on to dishes to be put on serving trays. He could feel someone desperately gripping onto the back of his suit. With grumble, he turned to see none other than Rose. "What did I say about being at least-" He stopped suddenly when he saw a build up of tears in her eyes.

"L-lon... qu is a pervert..." She shuddered in a hush tone, still gripping to the back of his suit for dear life.

"What happened?" He asked. She then reached up to his ear and whispered. His eye widened, and then twisted into an expression of pure rage, and charged right out of the room.

"We're back from break-... Lon'qu are you alright?" Robin asked as he returned to the room along with Chrom and Vaike, shocked at the expression that Lon'qu was wearing. Never in all his years of being friends with him that Robin had ever seen him so... so scary. Lon'qu ignored him and headed straight for the table that Rose was taking orders from. He grabbed and lifted the one of the guys by the neckline of his shirt.

"**GET. OUT.**"

"For what?"

"**You slapped her ass**!" He growled.

"So what? What does she expect wearing a skimpy outfit like that. She should be glad that someone took notice of her _ass_ets..."

Lon'qu then tossed the guy roughly on the floor. "Just because she's wearing a costume, _does not_ give you the right or consent to touch her, YOU PIECE OF SHIT." Lon'qu then raised his hand to strike him.

"Wait!" Rose shouted, as she held onto his raised arm. "Don't punch him... I mean you're right, he is a horrible person, but don't hurt him in front of our customers." She whispered.

Lon'qu closed his eyes, taking a few deep breaths as he regained his normal composure. He then grabbed the guy by the back of his shirt. "You're lucky she's kind, if it were up to me, I would have beaten you to a pulp!" He yelled as he threw him out of the cafe. He then turned to the rest of the guys that were sitting at the table. "Out. _Now_." With that, the 4 other boys scurried out of the cafe, one even tripped and crawled out and the rest of the cafe customers clapped.

"Damn, Lon'qu you were scary..." Robin said after things calmed down.

"I don't think I've ever seen you so angry before." Chrom added. "Or anyone for that matter..."

"Someone had to take the trash out." Lon'qu stated, and then felt a small tug at his sleeve.

"Thank you... what you did really meant a lot to me especially since you hate me and all..." Rose thanked.

Lon'qu sighed. "I don't hate you..."

Rose smiled at the realization of what he said. Then she reached up on the tips of her toes, and pecked Lon'qu on the cheek. "Thank you!"

"Haha! Lon'qu is blushing!" Sully laughed, noticing that his face was redder than a Christmas light.

"Awww, was that your first kiss Lonny?" Robin laughed.

"Shut up!" Lon'qu shouted in embarrassment. "I'm taking a break!" He then stormed out the room.

"Lon'qu is such a dork, am I right Chrom?" Robin chuckled elbowing his best friend.

"U-uh yeah...haha..." Chrom mumbled.

"Dude, you okay?"

"Yeah! Peachy-keen even. I should go check up on my tables." Chrom said with a forced smile, as he rushed off.

"What's up with him...?" Robin said to himself and then turned to Rose. "Are you alright? I'm sorry I wasn't there when that happened. I feel kind of awful actually. It's my duty to protect you as your brother..."

"I'm fine now, don't worry about. Realistically though, you can't always be there for me, so there's no use worrying about it. I'll get through it one way or another."

"Yeah that's true, but I'm not going to let something like this happen again, I promise! Today was suppose to be fun, being your first school festival and all..."

"Thank you Robin." She smiled. It was weird having someone care about her again. So many years she spent alone without her mother left a toll on Rose. It was nice being protected by someone again. "We still have an hour or so until we close up, let's make the best of things then!"

"Right!" Robin agreed.

"I want him! He's super cute!" A girl pointed to Robin with a squeal, as she walked into the cafe.

"Uh, oh, I guess I'm up. Talk to you later okay?"

"Alight, later Robin." She said, as she took a sit by the window. She still had five minutes left before her break ended.

"Oh Tharja sweetie! I could use a refill on my tea please." A guy from one table called.

She turned with a sigh, and walked up to the table, and with the driest, monotone, inhospitable voice said, "Coming right up". She passed by Rose and gave her a smile. It was weird, as creepy as Tharja and her stalker tendencies was, when she made an effort to be friendly to Rose, she was _almost_ _pleasant_.

Just then a group of people, who looked like college students came in. They looked at the pictures of the butlers and maids that were available.

"Let's get Chrom!" One girl giggled.

"He's really handsome right?" Another girl agreed.

"Hey, what about the guys? What if we want a cute maid?" One male in the group protested.

"Well, since it's a pretty big group, you can have two people waiting on you." Robin informed as he waited on a nearby table with a stack of cakes.

"Really?! Thank you!"

"So who's it going to be?" Robin asked.

"Chrom!" The girls cheered giddily.

"Haha, I'm not surprised." Robin laughed. "What waitress do you guys want?"

"Hmmm..." One of the guys said out loud in thought. "Let's get Tharja."

"No way! She looks way too tsundere and grumpy!."

"What's wrong with that?"

"We all know you have a thing for tsunderes Alex." The group of college students then laughed much to the dismay of Alex.

"How about Rose? She looks cute in the 'girl next door' kind of way." Another guy suggested.

"And she doesn't look like she'll put a curse on me!" Another guy agreed.

"She looks sort of good next to Chrom." one of the girls chimed in.

"Okay, we'll go with Rose and Chrom."

"Alright, one second please." Robin said as he ran up to Rose. "There's a whole group of ten waiting for you, is that okay?"

"Yeah, I'm pretty much done with my break anyway." She agreed, stretching her arms as she got up from her chair.

"It's a lot of orders to take back and forth, so Chrom's going to help you out."

"Okay sure." She nodded and then walked up to the group. "Table of ten? Follow me please." She walked them up to two rectangular tables that were pushed together.

"Oh are these paper stars? They're so cute!" One girl smiled as looked at the ordainments dressing the table tops.

"Thank you! Chrom didn't you actually made those?" Rose smiled as the blue haired butler approached them.

"Yes I did, but you taught me how to make them properly." Chrom grinned.

"You two are so cute together!" Another girl complimented.

"Thank you..." Chrom smiled bashfully. "Have you decided what you wanted yet?

Chrom and Rose took their orders and headed to the kitchen to get them set up.

"Robin my dear, we're here!" A sophisticated womanly voice called.

"Mom, Dad! What's up?" Robin greeted, as a tall glamorous raven haired women and a blond man in a business suit embraced him in a hug.

"My my, don't you look so handsome!" Robin's mom smiled.

"The girls are probably swarming for you to take their order." His father chuckled.

"I guess, but the Funny thing is, Lon'qu is actually one of the most requested guy here besides Chrom."

"Wow, talk about ironic." His mother giggled. "Well dear Lon'qu has always been a sharp looking boy."

"Robin!"

"Hey Morgan and Morgana, you guys here too?"

"Yep!" Morgan started.

"We're on break from our class exhibition." Morgana finished.

"Come over here, I'll get you a table."

"Hey Robin, where's Rose?" Morgan asked.

"Yeah! I want her to be our maid!" Morgana demanded.

"Rose? Where _is_ she...? Robin asked out loud, as his eyes scanned the room. She was nowhere in sight.

* * *

><p>"Rose are you okay?" Chrom asked as they were preparing the cakes to be served.<p>

"Yeah, of course I'm okay. I mean why wouldn't I be?"

"For starters, you're breathing really hard and you sound really nervous. Is something bothering you. Is it about earlier?"

"I saw Robin's parents in the cafe after we took our group's order..."

"Oh is that it?"

"Yeah, it's kinda a big deal Chrom. What if they don't like me? I'm not from successful family like the rest of you guys, you know? I'm nobody."

"Do you really think so lowly of yourself? You are a wonderful girl and I'm sure that they won't meet you with the least bit of hostility. Any set of parents would love you. You're funny, kind, and very sweet, and a blast to be around."

"Really?"

"I'm 100% positive."

"Heehee, thanks Chrom. You always know just what to say." Rose smiled.

"I'm glad I could be there for you." Chrom said, returning her smile with one of his own. "We should get these orders out."

"Right." She nodded, talking two serving trays full of food.

"You sure can handle all of that?"

"Yep, I got it."

"Here are the drinks!" Sumia said as they walked by the station where she prepared the beverages.

"Thanks Sumia." Chrom Thanked as he collected them onto his serving tray.

"Here's your order." Rose smiled. "Enjoy!"

"Woah, look at them juggle all those food and drinks." A girl smiled.

"Rose, another table wants you to serve them, table 9." Robin informed, as he passed by.

"Okay, I'll be right back." She whispered to Chrom.

"Rose! I've missed you!" Morgana called out.

"We've been waiting for you!" Morgan grinned.

"Morgan, Morgana, how nice of you to visit." Rose smiled. There was something about how upbeat the Morgs always were that made her energetic as well.

"So this is the infamous Rose." The blonde man spoke. "It's so nice to finally meet you, I'm Blake. I'm Robin's adopted father."

"It's always big sis this, and big sis that with Morgana and Morgan lately, they talk quite highly of you." A dark haired women smiled. "I'm Trisha, Robin's adopted mother."

"Very nice to meet you Blake and Trisha." Rose bowed.

"Oh, no need to be so formal hunny, you can just call us mom and dad." Trisha informed. "We had no idea that Robin even was a twin until he told us recently. Morgana and Morgan love you so much as well. They can't get enough of you!"

"Robin talks so highly of you. He told us all about you, and we were very moved when we heard your story. You're a strong young lady." Blake added.

"Oh thank you." Rose smiled.

"So don't be a stranger with us, you're family in fact!" Trisha started.

"Family...?" Rose uttered in shock.

"Of course! If we had known that Robin was a twin when we adopted him, we would have taken you both in just like we did with Morgan and Morgana." Trisha finished.

"I-I don't know what to say... thank you." Rose mumbled. It seemed too good to be true. She would actually have a family from now on. Tears built up in her eyes, but she did her best to hold them back. Suddenly she felt someone tapping her shoulders. "Oh Chrom, what's up?"

"The table of ten wants to take pictures with us. Is that okay with you?"

"Sure, no problem." She agreed and then turned toward Trish and Blake. "I need to attend to another table for a bit, if you'll excuse me."

"Take your time dear." Blake nodded.

"Can we take a picture of you together with Chrom?" Another girl asked giddily.

"Of course!" Rose smiled.

"Could you get closer together?" The customer taking the picture asked.

"Sure." Rose complied, as she moved in and rested her hand on Chrom's chest and another round his waist. Chrom took his hand and wrapped it around Rose's shoulder pulling her close. He shuddered for a second at the realization of their closeness and blushed faintly.

"Say cheese!"

"Cheese!"

"Yay! Thank you so much!" the girl smiled

"STAY STILL FOR ONE MORE SECOND DAMMIT."

"Huh?" The two said in confusion at the new person taking a picture in a trench coat, as two more flashes went off.

"ANNA GET OUT!" Robin yelled as he shooed her away.

"YOU'LL NEVER GET ME ALIVE, NEVER!" she cried as she opened a nearby window and leaped out of it. Luckily they were on the ground floor and she made a mad dash for her escape.

"I swear that girl is off her rocker..." Chrom mumbled.

"Thank you for serving us today!" One of the college students thanked.

"Bye bye!" The rest waved as they left.

"Let me see the picture you took." One asked another.

"Look, look, they're so cute right?!"

"I wish I was that cute when I was in high school." another cooed.

"They were certainly a lively bunch." Rose smiled.

"They certainly were." Chrom agreed, still a bit coy after the close picture they had just taken.

" I should get back to my other table, later Chrom!"

"Later!"

"Sorry about that, what can I get you?" Rose smiled as she walked back to where Trisha, Blake, Morgan, and Morgana were sitting.

"We're not actually hungry, we just wanted to get a chance to talk to you, hun." Trisha smiled.

"Oh I see." Rose said, a bit taken aback at the fact that they went through the trouble just to see her.

"Are you going to the Homecoming dance tomorrow dear? We're going to be chaperoning the event." Blake asked.

"Oh, I'm not sure, I don't even have a proper dress." Rose answered.

"What?! Oh no no no, that will not due! After you finish up here, you'll come with me to get a Dress." Trisha stated.

"Oh no, I couldn't-"

"I won't take no for an answer, besides it gives me time to spend with you." Trisha smiled.

"Oh... okay." Rose agreed. A shy smile starting to dance on her face.

"Hey Rose, get over here, we're gonna take a group picture!" Vaike called.

"I'm sorry, I'll be right back."

"Sure hunny, no problem." Trisha nodded.

Rose walked up to the front of the room where everyone else was as Robin was setting up the timer on the camera.

"Another photo op. I suppose?" Chrom asked with a smile, standing beside Rose.

"I guess so!" Rose smiled back."Oh, Lon'qu, you have to be in the picture too!" Rose laughed, he merely grumbled as she pulled him by the wrist into the shot where she just was. "Remember, you have to smile!"

"No." His frown deepening more than before.

"Grumpy cat." She sighed under her breath.

"What did you say?"

"Nothing!" She said in a cheery tone.

"Okay, everyone get into your places, I'm about to start the timer." Robin informed. Robin squeezed in between Rose and Lon'qu, as he placed an arm behind his sister's shoulders, and Rose made a cute peace sign. "Okay everyone, say, LON'QU IS A PANTY SNATCHER!"

"OH GODS." Lon'qu shouted angrily right before the flash went off on the camera. This was met with with laughter from everyone in the class. Needless to say that everyone was smiling except poor Lon'qu in that picture.


	14. Haunted House Howls

_**Author's Note:** Hey everyone, the response to last chapter was outstanding and man you guys are great! It really inspired me to work on few later chapters more. The only thing is I was writing chapter 17 on the train, and half of was accidently deleted by mistake. Damn iphones... Any way, I decided to update earlier than normal. I don't know how often I'll update from now on because that deletion really bummed me out and work from university is piling on me, I'll try my best none the less! You can find the dance routine Lucina and Rose do on my profile._

_ Enjoy!_

* * *

><p>"Everyone is warmed up and stretched I hope?" The captain of the dance team asked as she paced back and forth backstage.<p>

"Yes captain!"

"Good. We've practiced all month for today, we'll do great." She assured the rest of the team. Today was the day of club exhibitions. With the exception of classes that are doing scheduled performances, most of the class exhibitions were done the day before.

"Dance team you're on in ten." A stage manager informed as they walked by.

"R-rose..." Lucina chattered as she gripped onto her arm.

"Lucina, what's the matter?" Rose asked.

"I have to be honest here, I'm pretty nervous..."

"Oh Lucina, you'll be great! You've been practicing twice as hard as anyone on the actual dance team."

"Yes, you're right... I just don't want to mess up."

"Well, what do you do when you have an important fencing match?"

"I try to remember the days when I was younger when I fenced with Chrom..." Lucina said a loud, deep in thought.

"Why is that?"

"Those times are very comforting to me. He use to take me by the riverside of our family's summer home, and we would just spend the days sparing. It was very peaceful and serene."

"That sounds so lovely." Rose smiled. "Try to hold on to that peaceful feeling to help you relax okay?"

"I will, thank you."

"By the way Lucina, you look really pretty in that dress!" Rose grinned. Lucina was in a rather long and complex yellow ballgown. She even wore a crown, and silk gloves. Somehow, Rose couldn't shake the feeling that she really belonged in a princess dress.

"Oh thank you, I'm not use to wearing something so complicated." Lucina laughed. "I'd prefer to wear something like you and Olivia are wearing to be honest. Rose looked down at the avant-garde french style military uniform she was wearing. Her hair was braid and tied up elegantly and even wore a barrett.

"It is pretty simple and comfortable." Rose said, joining in with Lucina's laughter.

"All right we're about to begin! Everyone take your places!" The captain announced.

"I guess it's showtime. You're going to do great Lucina!" Rose waved as she got to her place adjacent to Olivia.

"You too Rose!" Lucina nodded as she scurried to her position as well.

Rose and Olivia walked onto staged and faced each other holding their rolled up flags. Then the music began to play:

_My oh my, do you wanna say goodbye?  
>To have the Kingdom, baby, tell me why?<br>My oh my, do you wanna say goodbye?  
>To rule the Country, baby, you and I?<br>If you were my King..._

Keeping the flags rolled up, they danced in line with each other, matching their movements like reflections from a mirror. The music then began to pick up, as they unrolled their flags and spilt them into two. They elegantly waved and twirled their flags in sync, in bright vivid motions.

_My oh my, do you wanna say goodbye?  
>To have the Kingdom, baby, tell me why?<br>My oh my,do you wanna say goodbye?  
>To rule the Country, baby, you and I?<em>

Reaching the first verse, Lucina twirled onto the stage in her yellow ball gown.

_Little princess in a terrible mess__  
><em>_A kingdom alone, but no love to confess__  
><em>_Dreams of a prince on a tall white horse__  
><em>_Runs like a spirit by the castle walls_

"Woah, Lucina looks great." Robin whistled. He was watching the performance with Chrom, Lon'qu and Gaius in the audience as they were waiting to preform next for the music club.

"I didn't know she could pull off the princess look off so well myself." Chrom agreed.

Lucina sat onto the floor as if in grief, as Owain, waltzed onto the stage. With quick and sharp movements, he began to twirl and toss his saber to the beat of the music. He then gentle held Lucina's chin, but just as she moved to embrace him, he got up to exit the stage.

_Gotta steal from the rich when they don't know I'm comin'_  
><em>Gotta give to the poor, no time for lovin'<em>  
><em>My oh my, don't you cry, 'cause there's no way I'm stayin'<em>  
><em>I will leave, say "bye bye", I'm going my way...<em>

Lucina was left with the saber that Owain left behind. Her fingers grazed it, but she jumped back in fright, her character had never touched one before.

_My oh my, do you wanna say goodbye?__  
><em>_To have the Kingdom, baby, tell me why?__  
><em>_My oh my, do you wanna say goodbye?__  
><em>_To rule the Country, baby, you and I?_

Rose and Olivia then whisked Lucina away off stage. Olivia then continued to do beautiful flag work as Rose picked up the saber.

_If you were my King, I would be your queen...__  
><em>_If you were my King, I would be your queen..._

Lucina then entered back onto the stage, now wearing similar military gab as Rose and Olivia. She proudly grabbed the saber that was presented to her by Rose, and victorious thrusted it into the air.

_Mystery deep in the royal heart__  
><em>_Crying at night, I wanna be apart__  
><em>_Prince, oh prince, are you really sincere?__  
><em>_Bet you one day you're gonna disappear__  
><em>

Lucina began to make excellent swordplay with her saber, as she skillfully tossed it into the air, and spin it around in time to the music. Indigo as the second prince entered the stage, admiring Lucina's work with her sword.

_Gotta steal from the rich when they don't know I'm comin'__  
><em>_Gotta give to the poor, no time for lovin'__  
><em>_My oh my, don't you cry, 'cause there's no way I'm stayin'__  
><em>_I will leave, say "bye bye", I'm going my way..._

Indigo quickly grabbed the saber, Lucina still gripping it they began a quick two step as they fought over it until Indigo swiftly pulled it out of her hand. He then rested his hand below Lucina's chin gently. As the song approached it's breakdown, Owain as the first prince appeared on stage. He pointed his sword as if he was challenging Indigo, both drawing their swords ready to fight. Lucina got in the middle of them, begging them not to fight, however, they pushed her away, drawing their blades once more.

_My oh my... Ohh__  
><em>_My oh my... Ohh__  
><em>_My oh my... Ohh__MY OH MY!_

The two engage in battle, at first it's evenly matched however, Owain makes a swift kick to Indigo's gut, causing him to fall over. Lucina grabs the saber that he drops and defends him from the final blow.

_My oh my, do you wanna say goodbye?_  
><em>To have the Kingdom, baby, tell me why?<em>  
><em>My oh my, do you wanna say goodbye?<em>  
><em>To rule the Country, baby, you and I?<em>

Lucina and Indigo then embrace, however as Owain is about to strike Lucina, Indigo pushes her out the way and takes the hit. Furiously, Lucina takes the saber and gives a final strike to Owain, as he falls to the grown.

_If you were my King, I would be your queen..._  
><em>If you were my King, I would be your queen...<em>

Owain and Indigo lay on each side of her. For the grand finale, Lucina takes her saber and twirls it up in the air. Everyone looks up in anticipation as it returns back down, and Lucina gracefully catches it. The audience roars into applause, as the dance team and the three fencing freshman take a bow.

"Lucina you did great!" Rose cheered as they ran backstage.

"Yeah, I didn't mess up at all." Lucina smiled. "The saber didn't land on my head like last time."

"I knew you could do it."

"It's all thanks to you and Olivia and the practice we did. Thank you!"

"No problem!"

Rose, Olivia, and Lucina went and got changed out of their costumes. Since the maid cafe was only an event for yesterday, they had the whole day to explore the festival. Lucina's class on the other hand, was a another performance exhibit, so they had three shows scheduled today.

"I'm looking forward to seeing the Shepherds today. There wasn't a music club in my old school so it's kind of exciting to see a concert at school." Rose exclaimed.

"They're pretty good, they preform for various school events, not just the school festival."

"Oh that's neat!" Rose said.

"I bet you're probably here to see Chrom preform right Lucina?" Olivia asked as they watched toward the open stage that was set up in the courtyard.

"I'm actually here to see Robin..." Lucina informed shyly.

"Robin? Why my dork of a brother?" Rose asked.

"Um... no reason..." She blushed.

"Oh my gods, don't tell me you... like Robin?" Rose gasped.

"Please don't tell anyone..." She squeaked softly. "It's a persistent childhood crush that won't go away..."

"I won't tell anyone." Rose reassured.

"I won't as well." Olivia smiled.

"Thank you so much, it's so embarrassing. It's like having a crush on your older brother's best friend..."

"Is that how you see Chrom? As an older brother?"

"Mhmm, I'm an only child so I would always look up to him that way... maybe even a father? My parents were never around very much as a child. Robin was always hanging out with Chrom, so I saw and played with him often. Lon'qu and Gaius were also always around too, the four of them were always great friends."

"I think that's really cute." Olivia smiled. "A childhood crush are always the sweetest."

"I suppose so." Lucina laughed.

"YOHOO! LUCI! OVER HERE!" Familiar blonde pigtails could be see bobbing up and down in the crowd.

"Oh, hey Lissa!" Lucina waved to her cousin, as Lissa went in for a hug.

"Hi Rose, hey Olivia! I'm guessing your here for the concert too?" Lissa asked.

"Yep!" Rose nodded. She looked around, and saw that practically the whole school was here, and then some. She then looked up at the stage, and saw Chrom, Robin, Gaius and Lon'qu setting up. After a ten more minutes they were finally ready.

"Hey everyone!" Robin said speaking into microphone. He was might with a round of cheers from the crowd. "Alright, I like a rowdy crowd." He smiled. "Welcome to the music club concert, I'm Robin, and I write the music, sing backup vocals, and play guitar."

"I'm Chrom, and I play electric guitar, sing, and write lyrics."

"I'm Gaius and I'm drumming it up for you all today."

"Lon'qu. Bass."

"Yeah, Lon'qu isn't much of a talker." Robin stated, and was met with laughter from the audience.

"We're the Shepherds! I hope everyone enjoys our performance today." Chrom started. This is it, this would be the day he would let her know his true feelings, for better or for worse. He took a deep breath and went on. "First song we're going to play is called _Honey_. I'd like to dedicate this song to someone special to me named Ro-"

_SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEECH_

"Ugh that noise!" Lissa cried as she covered her ears from the piercing sound of the microphone malfunctioning was in the air.

"Make it stop!" Robin exclaimed.

"Don't worry, Ol' Gauis got it Bubbles!" He assured as he leaped up from his sit at the drums and began to tinker with it for a second until the exacerbating noise went away.

"Wow, Gaius is pretty handy. He can sew, cook, and fix things? Is there nothing he can't do?" Rose asked in surprise.

"I know right?" Lissa sighed dreamily. "He's super cute too!"

"Uh oh..." Olivia laughed.

"I'm guessing Lucina isn't the only one with a lingering childhood crush..." Rose whispered to Olivia.

"Sorry about the rough start and the technical difficulty." Chrom apologized. He sighed, all that confidence he built up wasted, and because of the issues with the microphone, he lost his nerve to let his true feelings be known. He even rushed to write a new song for her, since he couldn't help but sing the other song for her the other day.

"As Chrom was saying, this song is called _Honey_." Robin introduced. Gaius counted them off, and they began to play the song:

_I watched it all the time __  
><em>_Ever since I was young, so long ago __  
><em>_Even now the faded scenery a__dorns my plain white walls_

_Entangled with the dry wind __  
><em>_It takes you away with it __  
><em>_Honey so sweet, grasping __  
><em>_At my boundless dream with both hands _

_Rolling along on the road __  
><em>_I was just a little bit out of control __  
><em>_I can't take away the deep pain __  
><em>_But don't look so sad _

_Entangled with the dry wind __  
><em>_It takes you away with it __  
><em>_Honey so sweet, I want you to believe __  
><em>_Even if this world is a lie __I want to fly, __waitin' for sunrise_

_Anytime, all the time __  
><em>_I want to be melting in your sweet, sweet smile _

_'Destiny grabs me __  
><em>_"Here" is becoming blurred, but __  
><em>_Don't despair you can hear it __  
><em>_That place is calling _

_Entangled in the dry wind __  
><em>_It takes you away with it __  
><em>_Honey so sweet, grasping __  
><em>_At my boundless dreams with both hands _

_I want to fly, waitin' for sunrise _

_I want to fly, waitin' for sunrise __  
><em>

"They're really good!" Rose smiled, clapping along with the rest of the audience.

" They are, aren't they?" Olivia agreed.

"CHROOOOOOM, WE LOVE YOU!" One girl screamed nearby. She didn't seem like she was from this school.

"CHROM YOU'RE SO DREAMY!" Another shouted. Wait... weren't those the girls from Plegia that Rose saw from the music competition?

The concert rolled on, as they played various other songs. When the concert finally ended, they given a grand round of applause and exited the stage.

* * *

><p>"So what did you think?" Robin asked when they finally met up after the concert was finished.<p>

"It was really great! I've never been to a rock concert before so it was really cool!" Rose cheered.

"Thanks, glad we could be your first." He laughed. "Well, we're free for the rest of the day until the dance. Want to explore the festival?"

"That would be great!" Rose agreed. "I hear the other junior class did a haunted maze. Do you want to go to that?"

"Sure. Chrom, Lon'qu, and Gaius wanted to hang out some more, so you don't mind if they tag along right?"

"Yeah, I don't mind." Rose agreed. She scarfed down some funnel cake as they waited on a bench outside for the rest of them to get back from changing out of their performance clothes. "Festival food is the best!

"It is, isn't it?" Robin smiled. There was something about when his sister's smile that was contagious, and he couldn't help but be happy when she was even if it was about the most simple things.

"Yep, man I'm stuffed." Rose patted her stomach cheerfully.

"Is that funnel cake?!" Gaius asked ravenously as he ran up ahead of Lon'qu and Chrom to where Robin and Rose were sitting.

"You can have the rest if you want, I'm full..."

"Oh Bubblena, you're the best!" He thanked, as he snatched the paper plate from Rose.

"You are a gluttonous pig." Lon'qu sighed.

"It ain't easy being greedy." Gaius said in between bites.

"Don't choke Gaius, you don't want a repeat of valentine's day last year." Chrom reminded.

"Valentine's day?"

"Let's just say he tried to cram a whole box of chocolates in one gulp. It ended up in an epic conga line of the havoc maneuver." Chrom informed.

"Listen Blue, I appreciate you looking out for me, but I've matured since-OW!"

"You bit your tongue didn't you?

"Yes..." Gaius sobbed.

"Anyway, we're heading to the haunted maze." Robin informed as he began to walk to the gym.

"Hello! Welcome!" Cherche smiled as they arrived at the front of the gym. "Oh hi Rose, how's little Mar-mar doing?"

"He's okay, not really back on his feet, but getting there. Thanks for patching him up the other day."

"It's no problem. So, it's a party of five I'm guessing?" Cherche asked.

"Yep." Rose nodded.

"Okay right this way. Enjoy your stay..." She cackled before she closed the door to the gym behind them with a large screech.

"It's almost pitch dark in here..." Rose mumbled. They entered the room, and it wasn't lit sans for one or two candles a long the way. There were waves of smoke hovering above the ground, and an erie ambiance playing.

"The atmosphere is pretty good." Gaius noted. The five started to walk through the maze, as it got narrower as they went on. So narrow that they had to walk one after another.

"Oi, stop clinging to me!"

"I'm sorry Robin..." Rose squeaked.

"I'm not Robin. It's Lon'qu, and stop holding onto me like that!" He commanded.

"Wait, we're missing a few people...Robin's not here, and Gaius is gone too." Chrom observed. "Where in Naga did they go?"

* * *

><p>"I should have brought a camera to record your reaction." Robin snickered. "Rose..?"<p>

"Hey, where did Blue and Giggles go off to?"

"We probably got spilt up somehow..."

"Yeah it is pretty dark."

"_NYAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAA~"_

"W-what was that...?" Gaius asked cautiously.

"I don't know... let's just keep going. We're bound to meet up with the three of them sometime." Each time they stepped it seemed as though the ambience in the room was increasing. They had to keep feeling the walls to get around because it was dark until the two made it to an open area.

"Wait... do you hear talking?" Robin asked.

Gaius paused for a second, listening closely. "Yeah, it's kind of muffled but I can hear it too. It's coming from over there by that dinner table." The two walked up to the nearby dinner table, Gaius reached his hand, and slowly lifted the dish cover.

"HEY!"

"Oh, it's just Stahl." Robin sighed.

"Hah, yeah, the only thing that's scary about him is the amount of food he eats." Gaius chuckled.

"I'm right here you know." He said. Somehow, his head was on a dinner plate, and the rest of his body was no where to be found."

"Wow, you guys did a nice job, the rest of your body isn't even under the table." Robin observe.

"Thanks!" Stahl smiled. "Now, could you pass me that apple over there? I'm starving!"

Robin in response merely covered his head back again with the plate cover. "Let's get out of here."

* * *

><p>"<em>NYAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAA~"<em>

"W-what was that sound?" Rose whimpered, as the high pitched shriek of a laugh filled the air.

"I don't know... I can't shake the feeling that the laughter sounds familiar though..." Chrom pondered.

"L-let's just get out of here... and find Robin and Gaius..." Rose mumbled. The three continued through the maze until they reached a narrow hallway full of paintings. "This hallway is creepy... Lon'qu you go first."

"Why me?"

"You can scare all the monsters away with your scowl!" Rose whimpered.

He sighed as he began to walk. "This is so dumb."

"Do you want to go next? Just in case something creeps up from behind, I'll shoo it away." Chrom suggested. "I could hold your hand if you want me to."

"Yes! T-thank you Chrom!" Rose nodded, nearly crying tears of thankfulness, touched by his thoughtfulness. She grabbed hold of Chrom's hand and began to follow Lon'qu.

"It's funny, Lucina use to be afraid of the dark and monsters under her bed when she was younger." Chrom started, in an attempt to help calm Rose down. He could feel her shaking by the way she gripped her hand.

"I know that's a common thing for all kids, but it's so hard to imagine Lucina being afraid of anything."

"Yeah, she's fearless now, but she wasn't always that way. She would always want me to check under her bed and in the closet before she went to sleep, and leave the door cracked open so the light from the corridor would shine through."

"That's so cute..." Rose smiled. Chrom could feel the shaking of her hand lessening.

"Yeah, she was very precious. It was around that time that I started to teach her fencing, and then she wasn't afraid anymore."

"I could only imagine how-"

Abruptly the paintings on the sides of the walls slid down, and a mob of disfigured hand reached out.

Rose screamed, one hand even touched her shoulder which made her panic even more. Suddenly she felt someone tug her along by her free arm as she was pulled through the hallway in a flash.

Suddenly, creaky footsteps could be heard coming toward the three, along with the sound of rattling chains.

"W-what's that sounds...?" Rose shuddered.

"Don't worry, it's probably nothing..." Chrom tried to reassure, but even he didn't seem to have much confidence with his own words by the way his voice wavered.

"NYAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAAAA~" The voice boomed and echoed throughout the corridor.

"Let's just make a dash out-..." Lon'qu started, but then, a pale white haired ghost, covered in locks and what seemed to be bloodied chains appeared from around the corner. A smiled danced upon his face, until he opened his eyes, revealing glowing yellow eyes and a menacing psychotic smile.

Rose couldn't even scream this time, her vocal choirs seemed to be trapped and frozen in fear. The ghost lifted his hand, scratching the walls with it's long nails, as it made screeching sound similar to nails on a chalkboard.

"Gods! That noise is awful!" Chrom said between clenched teeth, as the three covered their ears.

"On three, we're going to make a run for it... one... two... three!" Lon'qu counted, and just as he said, Rose was pulled along by Chrom and Lon'qu as they made a mad dash past the ghost.

* * *

><p>Gaius and Robin continued moving, trying to find the exit to the maze.<p>

"It sure is quiet..." Gaius observed.

"You idiot, don't jinx us." Robin sighed.

"Yeah, but I don't even hear the laughing anymore... which is by the way very familiar, I can't put my finger on it."

Suddenly the two stopped. "Hey... isn't the fog getting thicker?" Robin asked.

"Now that you mention it, yeah, I can't even see right in front of me." Gaius agreed. "Wait... is that you moaning Bubbles...?"

"I thought that was you..."

"_Rrrrrrrrrraaaaaaauuuuuuuugh..._"

"There it is again!" Gaius exclaimed

Suddenly a figure started to emerge from out of the smoke. She was dressed in a tattered white dress. Her stringy, long, raven hair drooped down and covered her low hanging face.

"O-oh hey, you stuck in this maze too?" Gaius asked. "My friend and I here have been wondering around looking for our 3 other friends, haha."

"Gaius, I don't think she's lost in the maze, I think she's _**apart of the maze**_..."

"Me and my big mouth..." Gaius gulped.

She lifted her head and wildly hissed at the two, revealing her scarred face and her glossy iris-less eyes.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Gaius and Robin screamed, Gaius even hopped up into Robin's arms scooby-doo style.

"Get off of me and run!" Robin commanded.

"Don't need to tell me twice!"

The two dashed as fast as their legs could take them. They ran and ran, until they saw the gleam of lights through the cracks of a door. Without hesitation Robin kicked the door open, revealing that they were at the other side of the gym.

"SWEET MERCIFUL NAGA WE MADE IT!" Gaius exclaimed as he kissed the ground.

Suddenly the door swung open again revealing Chrom, Rose, and Lon'qu bombarding out the door.

"We made it..." Chrom sighed, breathing heavily from all the running they did.

"At least I burned off all that festival food..." Rose chuckled, still out of breath as well.

"Awww aren't you three cute." Gaius laughed.

"What's so funny?" Rose asked. Gaius merely pointed to their hands. Chrom and Lon'qu's were still linked to Rose's. Chrom awkwardly flustered, dropped his hand from Rose's, while Lon'qu snatched his hand back both in embarrassment and annoyance.

"Let me guess, you freaked the hell out in there didn't you?" Robin asked Rose.

"No-... okay yeah." Rose admitted and then smiled," But now that I looked back in retrospect, it was pretty fun!"

"I guess that's a good thing."

"NYAHAHAHAAAAA~"

"AHHHHH!" The five jumped at the sight of the ghost from earlier. Gaius even jumped into Robin's arm again.

"Wha- would get off of me!" Robin snapped as he dropped him on the floor.

"Glad you guys had such a _hell_ of a time!"

"Henry!" Everyone groaned.

"There's only one person who can make such lame puns and laugh like that." Gaius sighed, picking himself up from the ground.

"Who was the other monster we saw?" Robin asked.

"Panne, there's a wonder to what makeup and contact lens will do for you!" Henry informed cheerfully.

"Well shit, you guys are pretty good actors." Gaius sighed. "I nearly peed myself."

"That's what we aimed for, nyahahahaa!" Henry chuckled.

"Enough fooling around though, we should go get ready for the dance." Robin said, checking the time on his cell phone.

"Yeah, it does start in a couple of hours." Chrom agreed.

"Anyway, thanks for... uh, the scare or whatever that was. We'll catch you later Henry."

"CAW again!" Henry waved, making one of his infamous crow puns.

"UGHHHHHHH!" Everyone sighed, groaning collectively at the pun.


	15. Dust Off Your Dance Shoes

**Author's Note**: This chapter marks the end of the school festival saga sadly, but don't worry, this marks just the start of things. _Fallen Angel_, the song used in this chapter is actually a song from Panty and Stocking so check it out on youtube or something if you can, it's a great song. Once again, thank you for your support. After this chapter I'm probably just going to be updating once a week instead of two. Enjoy the chapter!

* * *

><p>Rose took one last turn in the mirror, her hair wasn't tied into her signature pigtails and was now let out with a cute bow clipped on the side. She wore a strapless dress that stopped at her knees, the top half of the dress adorn with lace, as the midsection was tied together with a mauve silk midband, and flowers. She wore ballet flats, as she actually wanted to dance and not be dragged down by heels.<p>

"Really to Rock?" Olivia asked with a smile. She also wore her pink locks out, and was sporting a simple white halter top dress adorned with golden trims.

"You bet I am!" Rose nodded, grabbing her purse. "I'm looking forward to see how dances are done here at Ylisse Academy." The two walked out of the dorm and walked into the elevator to get to the lobby. In the Elevator, girls merrily talked about dates and complimented each other's outfits.

"Big sis!" A familiar voice called in the Elevator.

"Oh Morgana, you look great!" Rose smiled, embracing her into a hug. She wore a simple purple silk dress.

"That dress mama picked out for you the other day looks good on you as well." She complimented.

"Thank you! Are you going to the dance with anyone?" Rose asked.

"Yeah, with Inigo."

"Oh really?"

"Well, not to dance with him, just to see him strike out with girls!" Morgana laughed, there was a bit of a childish sadistic tone to her voice as she giggled care-freely.

"Well, I'm not even the least bit surprised." Olivia asked. "That's my brother for you."

"Morgana, aren't you going to introduce us to your 'Big sis'?" A redhead with long pigtails asked pushily.

"Oh right, well you know Olivia, she's Inigo's big sister, but this is my big sis Rose! She's Robin's twin."

"I'm Severa, you probably know my perfect goodie-two shoes sister Cordelia, her being the Vice president of the student council and all."

"I-I'm Noire..." The raven haired girl with them introduced. She seemed really nervous and was constantly avoiding eye contact. Rose couldn't help but feel she looked familiar.

"Are you related to Tharja?" Rose asked cautiously.

"She's my cousin..." She nodded.

"Oh, I see." Rose said. Noire seemed harmless enough to Rose. The five continued to walk out of the the dorm building. "Are you two going with anyone?"

"With those brainless dummies called boys in our grade? No way." Severa scoffed.

"I-I was too nervous to ask anyone..." Noire sighed.

"It's okay, I'm not going with anyone either." Rose reassured.

"Me too." Olivia nodded.

"Where is this dance taking place anyway?" Rose asked.

"In the Ballroom." Severa informed.

"This school has a ballroom?" Rose asked in disbelief. Sometimes she forgot how luxurious the school and it's students were.

"Yeah, it's pretty nice." Morgana nodded nonchalantly. "Speaking of which, we're here!"

The five entered the lavish ballroom, which to seemed like something out of a story book to Rose.

"It's beautiful..." Rose gasped.

"Not as beautiful as you- OH HI SIS..."

"Oh god, it's Inigo." Severa sighed with a roll of her eyes.

"Evening Inigo." Olivia greeted with a giggle, and then walked up to adjust his hair. "You had a cowlick."

"Oh thanks." He grinned. "You look wonderful today."

"Thank you. You look so handsome in your suit, I'm sure mom would love a picture."

"Aw... okay." He reluctantly agreed. He just couldn't say no to Olivia. She dug out a camera out of her bag.

"Rose you would mind taking the picture?"

"Oh sure no problem." She agreed. The two stood next to each other, and Rose couldn't help but giggle at the height difference between the two. "There, here you go."

"Thank you."

"No problem." Rose smiled. "I guess we're kind of early. There aren't a lot of people here..."

"Yo Rose!" Robin called off from on top of a stage. He was standing behind what appeared to be a turn table.

"Oh, I'll catch you guys later." Rose waved, as she ran up to the stage.

"Hey, you made it." Robin grinned.

"Yep, sure did."

"You look nice."

"Thanks, I even did my own make up this time, I'm starting to get savvy with this feminine stuff." Rose grinned, as the twins broke out into laughter.

"Woah now, don't get too ahead of yourself, you might even find a date." He said sarcastically between laughs.

"It'd be a miracle if someone who was interested in bookworms like us." Rose giggled and then asked, "What's with all this stuff?"

"I'm the DJ for tonight, and this is all my equipment."

"Oh wow, I didn't know that you DJ too. There's so much I don't know about you..."

"Don't worry, we have about 60 more years give or take to find out." He laughed.

Suddenly Rose's stomach began to growl. "I think I'm going to see what they have to offer. Want me to bring you anything?"

"Naw, I'm good, I'm about to start to play some tunes anyway. Go have fun."

"Okay, if you say so, later." She nodded, and then headed to where all the party food was. Rose's mouth dropped at the array of food. So many upper class dishes that she had only dreamed of trying was on display.

"Sweet... _munch munch_ spread right?"

"Oh hey Stahl. Yeah, I don't think I've tried any of these dishes before."

"What really? You haven't lived until you had the glazed crab, it's to die for!" Stahl recommended.

"I think I'll try that first then." She smiled. Rose then began to pile food onto her plate. Just as Robin said earlier, music started to play. She took a bite, and it was like she had eaten a piece of heaven. "Mmmmm! This is really good!" She said in between bites.

"Glad you like it so much, we took a lot of time searching for just the right cater during student council meetings." Rose turned around, mouth still stuffed with crab to see a suavely dressed Chrom. She quickly finished off what she was eating as Chrom chuckled at her enthusiastic eating.

"Hey Chrom, didn't see you there." Rose greeted sheepishly, embarrassed that he had caught her eating so furiously.

"It's okay, I did kind of sneak up on you." He started. Now that she was standing face to face with him, he took a good look at Rose and he took a deep breath. He was determined not to get cold feet this time. "You look beautiful tonight."

"Oh thanks. Trisha actually bought me this dress. I really like it a lot, and when we were shopping we really hit it off." Rose smiled gently, thinking about the time she spent with Robin's adopted mother. Light dusting of pink graced Chrom's cheeks as he looked on at Rose's charming expression of glee.

"_Come on Chrom, this is no time to get flustered!_" Chrom thought to himself, and then said, "I'm glad you had such a great time with her."

"Yeah, to be honest, it was like I had a mother again... of course no one could ever replace my mom, she was like a best friend to me but, I got back some of the nurturing feelings again. Trisha even said that she and Blake were thinking of adopting me. Can you believe it? I might have a some place to call a home and people to call family again!" Rose said excitedly.

"Wow, that's wonderful news!" Chrom gasped.

"Yep! I was pretty surprised myself." Rose nodded.

"See, I told you that you would get along with them. Robin's parents are generous people."

"Mhmm, I'm so glad that they're super kind as they are." She giggled, and Chrom's heart nearly leaped out of his chest.

"_Why is she so cute...?_" Chrom asked himself, there was this airy, light heartiness about Rose that he couldn't help be attracted to.

Rose then looked around, there were a lot more students in the ballroom now, but no one was dancing... "It's kind of dead in here isn't it?"

"Yeah, maybe everyone's a bit shy to start and get things rolling."

"I guess so." Rose agreed, taking another bite of food.

Chrom breathed nervously, he wasn't going to let this opportunity slip by. "Rose, would you like to dan-"

Suddenly another song, _Evacuate the Dance floor_ started to boom on the speakers, clouding the rest of Chrom's sentence. Rose as if in a trace dropped her plate of food on the table. "Oh man, where's Gaius? I didn't know they were doing this so early. Sorry Chrom I'll talk to you later!" She ran, as she leaped across the ballroom in time to the music, as Olivia mirrored her action, leaping and pirouetted to the other side of the ballroom. Suddenly a crowd of dancers made their way to the center of the ballroom.

Chrom face palmed when he realized what was happening, the Dance team had cleared up the approval to do a flash dance mob during the dance if no one was dancing with each other a few weeks ago. He sighed as he watched Rose and the others dance team members light up the dance floor in perfectly synced choreography. Somehow even Gaius and a few other males that weren't normally on dance team were in on the act, as they wildly flung the female members of the dance team over their shoulders in time to the music.

The plan worked as people started to grab dance partners and dance a long with the rest of dance team, breaking the ice that solidified the dance floor just a few minutes ago. Rose sighed when the dance ended as she regained her breath, the dance routine took a lot out of her than she thought it would. "I didn't know you could dance so well Gaius." She smiled as she looked up at her dance partner.

"Yeah well, I break dance and stuff for fun, and if I wasn't so busy with the music club I would join dance team. I just help out when they need an extra male dancer or two like tonight."

"Is there anything you can't do?" Rose laughed.

"I am a man of many talents Bubblena." He grinned.

Chrom was making his way to the other side of the ballroom where Rose was but damn, where there so many people.

"Hey Chrom..."

He turned around to see Cordelia behind him. "What's up Cordelia?"

"If you wouldn't mind, would you like to dance?" She smiled shyly. Reluctantly he agreed, for how could he say no to such a humble request?

"Yo, Bubblena, wanna dance? I actually really like this song." He asked as another song began to played.

"You like _Hey Ya_?" Rose asked raising an eyebrow.

"Hey, hey... don't judge, it's got a nice funky beat, and the breakdown is amazing."

"Whatever you say..."

"Just shut up and dance." He laughed as the two began to do just that. "You know Bubblena, I have to admit, ever since you came here, things have been a lot more... interesting."

"Huh really?"

"Yeah, Bubbles even seems a lot happier, and livelier."

"How was Robin before I met him?"

Hmm... he was pretty much the same, except that he kind of just went with the flow of things. He was a much more hands off type of person, but now he so involved in things. I never would have picked him as a person to want to be a class rep. I think he's trying to be more proactive about things because he wants to make sure that you have fun. Since you know, you didn't have much growing in terms of material things..."

"Awww..." She said, very visibly touched by what Gaius had just said.

"You got one hell of a brother."

"Yeah I know, I have to give him a hug later." She smiled.

"Aw shit, hold on a sec Bubblena, the breakdown is coming, I gotta lay it on." Gaius grinned. "You gotta shake like a Polaroid with me."

Rose laughed. "I wouldn't have it any other way." Just as predicted, the breakdown of the song arrived, as Gaius and Rose began to pop lock and drop it.

"All right Bubblena!" Gaius laughed, as the two danced in sync. The song slowly died down, the two laughing at how strange they must look for dancing so intensely. "I gotta admit, you're pretty fun to be around. You're not as uptight as some of the other girls at this school."

"Ahaha, thanks." Rose laughed.

"Hey Gaius! Rose!" A cheerful voice sang.

"Oh Lissa, what's up?" Rose asked.

"You don't mind if I steal Gaius away for a dance or two, pretty please?" She asked sweetly.

"Yeah sure, no problem."

"Alright, I'm out Bubblena. If that's what Princess wants, it's what she gets." He waved, as Rose watched Lissa tug him away.

Rose went back to the food table, and grabbed a plateful of food, and headed up to the stage. "Hey Robin, how are things going up here?"

"Pretty good... are you going to eat that...?"

"I bought it for you silly. I know how when you really get into music or work you forget to eat."

"Sweet, thanks!" He said, as he began to dig in. "Are you having fun so far? I saw you dancing with Gaius and you two looked like you were really getting down."

Rose laughed as she took a bite of food from the plate she brought. "Yeah, I was surprised that Gaius even knew how to dance."

"Yeah, Gaius can do just about anything he has the motivation to do. He's a pretty handy guy to have around."

"Did you get a chance to dance with anyone yet?"

"I danced with Olivia earlier."

"Wow, you actually had the courage?"

"Yeah, and it was a bit intimidating though, she's a super good dancer. It was really nice dancing with her."

"Awww, that's so cute!"

"Don't you go all mushy on me now." He warned, and was met with giggles from Rose.

"I haven't seen Olivia since we got here, she must be pretty popular." Rose said nonchalantly. "Gaius said that you've been happier since I came to Ylisse Academy... would you say that it's true?"

"Absolutely."

"Why?"

"It's probably cliché to say, but before I met you, I always felt like... something was missing." he said, as he stared into the distance of the ballroom.

"I felt the same way too." The two stood in silence for a minute or two, as dance music continued to boom throughout the room.

"Hey... go dance with Lon'qu."

"W-what?! You know how he feels about the feminine species!"

"Well, he did say that he didn't hate you the other day. That's better track record than a lot of other girls with Lon'qu."

"Okay, he doesn't hate me, but he sure as hell doesn't like me."

"He held your hand during the Haunted Maze." Robin retorted. "I think you could probably get a dance or two out of him. Just look at him, he's just sitting there. All the girls are probably too afraid to ask him to dance. If he says that he can't dance, he's lying because we went to charm school together when we were in middle school."

"Alright fine." Rose sighed as she began to walk down the stage. "I'll be back later." Lon'qu was leaning against a wall in the corner of the room, wondering why he even went to a stupid event like this. Oh, that's right, because his three rowdy best friends Chrom, Robin, and Gaius literally dragged him here.

"What do you want?" Lon'qu grumbled as Rose approached him.

"I was just wondering if you wanted to dance." Rose asked as sweetly and politely as she possibly could.

"No."

"Aw come on, don't be such a killjoy!"

"I don't even know-"

"Don't even say that you can't dance because my sources say you can." Rose interrupted as she was met with a Lon'qu merely gritting his teeth. "Wow, I can't believe that _the_ Lon'qu, captain of the Kendo Team is afraid to dance with a girl." Rose sighed.

"Excuse me? I'm not afraid of anything!"

"Oh yeah? Prove it!" Rose dared. Lon'qu roughly grabbed her hand, and pulled her to the dance floor. There was no way that he was just going to let her call him out like that.

A electric pop rock melody started up, as _Shake it_ began to play. Lon'qu shuddered as Rose rested her free hand on his shoulder and giggled.

"What's so funny?"

"You don't have to be so stiff, relax a little." Rose smiled.

"Hmmph." He grunted in disapproval. "How do we approach this song? I have some knowledge of dance, however it is limited."

"Well, we could do a simple two step, like this... I step this way, and you follow..." Rose instructed as Lon'qu followed along. "Good, if you follow that, you should be okay."

"Very well." Lon'qu nodded as the song began to pick up tempo as the song reached the chorus, and the two danced to the music. Lon'qu wasn't actually bad, he wasn't fantastic but he managed to keep up with Rose. Rose couldn't help but add a lot of flourishes to the two step that she had just shown him to mix things up a bit. Others stopped dancing with their mouths hung open... Lon'qu dancing with a girl? They just couldn't believe it.

"You're not too bad as I thought." Rose grinned as he twirled her around.

"I think you make me look better than I actually am."

"Still doesn't change the fact that you can carry a step or two." She complimented as the song ended, and another one started. Lon'qu gulped nervously; the next song was a slow dance

"Come on, I don't bite." Rose chuckled as she moved closer to him, closing the distance between the two. She rested her hands on his shoulders, and Lon'qu reluctantly sighed as he wrapped his arms around her waist and swayed to the beat of the song.

"You seem to be doing okay." Rose smiled. "You haven't combusted into flames yet."

"Very funny." He murmured dryly with a roll of his eyes.

"No really, you're handling this surprisingly well." She then looked up to see his face, but was quickly interrupted as Lon'qu swiftly pushed her head to his chest.

"Hey!"

"Please... don't look at me..." He urged. Rose pouted as she listened to his heartbeat as it was running like a racehorse. She shifted her head slightly upwards anyway to see Lon'qu's face slightly turned away from her, and beet red. She couldn't help but giggle at how coy he was being.

"W-why are you laughing?"

"Nothing!" She grinned.

"Women, I never understand them." He mumbled under his breath as the song ended, and another began. "Curse your brother."

"Huh why?"

"He's playing these slow songs on purpose, trying to mess with me." He sighed. "I've never heard this song before though."

Rose's ears perked up as she began to listen to the song that was playing. Wait... that was her voice singing:

_Heaven, please sing for me a song of life __  
><em>_Heaven, take me into your skies __  
><em>_There's no place here for me to hide my cries __  
><em>_Night and day, I'm missing you (ooh) __I know I'm here for the magic __  
><em>_All your stars guiding me through and through __  
><em>_(Oh) why, this loneliness feel like... forever and ever __  
><em>_I gotta be, I gotta be, in your arms, baby __You're so close, so close __  
><em>_And it's you that I believe in, I believe in __  
><em>_So close, but faraway, so far I can't touch __  
><em>_I'll hold on __  
><em>_'Cuz it's you I love so dearly __  
><em>_When the rain, the storm, and all is done __  
><em>_Caress me with your sweet lullaby... _

_Heaven, please sing for me a song of life __  
><em>_Heaven, save me in my dreams tonight __  
><em>_Someday these wings will perish in your sight __  
><em>_Night and day, I call for you (ooh) _

_Flashes of moments of tragic __  
><em>_Wandering souls, they fall along the way __  
><em>_Tell me you will never leave me... forever and ever __  
><em>_I gotta be, I gotta be, in your arms, hear me _

_You're so close, so close __  
><em>_And it's you that I believe in, I believe in __  
><em>_So close, but far away, I seek for your light __  
><em>_I'll hold on __  
><em>_'Cuz for you my heart keeps beating __  
><em>_When the wind, the fire, and all is gone __  
><em>_Caress me with your sweet lullaby... _

_Will you be my light?__  
><em>_Will you be my strength?__  
><em>_Promise you won't let me go... __I'll never betray __  
><em>_And in the end of time __  
><em>_Still my love's gonna be there... _

_You're so close, so close __  
><em>_And it's you that I believe in, I believe in __  
><em>_So close, but faraway, so far I can't touch __  
><em>_I'll hold on __  
><em>_'Cuz it's you I love so dearly __  
><em>_When the rain, the storm, and all is done __  
><em>_Caress me with your sweet lullaby... _

_You're so close, so close __  
><em>_And it's you that I believe in, I believe in __  
><em>_So close, but far away, I seek for your light __  
><em>_I'll hold on __  
><em>_'Cuz for you my heart keeps beating __  
><em>_When the wind, the fire, and all is gone __  
><em>_Caress me with your sweet lullaby..._

When the song was done, Rose looked up at Lon'qu. "Thanks for dancing with me, I know it was like walking on pins and needles for you."

"It was... It was tolerable, somehow." He sighed, his face still slightly flushed.

"I have to talk to Robin about something. I'll see you later." She smiled, as she walked away from Lon'qu.

"Hey, you two were cute." Robin smirked as Rose smirked.

"Oh haha, very funny."

"What's wrong?"

"Why did you play _Fallen Angel_, one of the songs that we recorded for your songwriting class?"

"Why not? It's a very beautiful song, and you're vocals are amazing on it." His voice becoming a mere whisper.

"I just don't want anyone to find out it's me."

"Why are you so keen on keeping it a secret anyway? You have an amazing gift, you shouldn't hide it."

"Just a lot of unpleasant things have happened when people know about this... gift." She said hesitantly. Robin sensed that she didn't want to talk further about it, so he didn't push the issue.

"Excuse me, sorry to interrupt your conversation..."

The siblings turned to see a gracious blonde politely approach them.

"Oh! Miss Emmeryn, nice to see you!" Rose greeted, as she quickly gave a bow to Emmeryn's direction.

"No need to be so formal, Emmeryn or Emm is fine." She laughed.

"Are you sure it's okay for such an important politician such as yourself to be here?" Rose asked with concern.

"No need to worry, Phila and the other members of the secret service are here keeping watch, no need to worry for my safety." She smiled. "Besides, I will not let my duty to my people get in the way of my duty of being a sister and guardian to my little brother and sister. Plus, I've always wanted to chaperone."

"So what can I do for you Emm?" Robin asked.

"I was just wondering if I could request a song or two. Also, that last song was beautiful, I was wondering who the artist was."

"Oh... uh, I wrote it myself, and the singer is named Lorelei." Robin answered sheepishly.

"Lorelei... I don't think I've ever heard of her before." Emmeryn pondered out loud.

"Oh yeah, she's totally underground... an indie artist, haha..." He laughed stiffly.

"Well I would love for you to send me the song, it's quite lovely." Emmeryn smiled. "Do you two have dates for the evening?"

"Two bookworms like us? Ha." Rose laughed.

"Oh really? I could have sworn I saw you dancing with Lon'qu Rose. I'm was very surprised to see him so comfortable around a girl... well it was the most comfortable I've seen him around one."

"N-no! You've got the wrong idea. He's not my date, I just danced with him because Robin asked me to." Rose responded defensively.

"Oh sure, I believe you." Emmeryn giggled.

Suddenly an out of breath Chrom ran up to the stage. "Hey guys..." He said in between breaths.

"Dude, what happened?" Robin asked raising an eyebrow.

"It's like, every girl in the school wants to dance with me. I have been dancing non-stop for the past two hours..." He said, as he finally regained his breath.

"My, my! I didn't know my brother was so popular." Emmeryn giggled.

"Haha... very funny Emm..." Chrom sighed. He then looked toward Rose. She was smiling brightly as she talked happily with his sister. He took a deep breath, it was now or never. "Rose, would you like to dance?"

"Oh, are you sure Chrom? You seem plenty tired from dancing with all the other girls. You don't have to dance with me just to be polite." Rose reassured.

"No. I _want_ to dance with _you_." He answered firmly.

"Oh okay, sure." Rose agreed. Chrom gently took Rose's hand and led her off the stage and to the dancefloor as a new song started up.

"So, what's with practically every girl wanting to dance with you?" Rose asked.

"I don't know, maybe it's the cologne?" He chuckled.

"So I'm guessing you wanted to dance with me to square it off and dance with all the girls in school?" Rose laughed.

"No! I honestly just really wanted to dance with you..." He said, his face grew a bit red when he realized what he was saying. "You've quickly become one of my best friends."

"Aww, Chrom that's very sweet of you to say, thank you. It means a lot to me, especially since you and Lissa were my first friends here." Rose smiled. Seeing her smile really wasn't good for his heart. "Did you ever get a chance to dance with the girl that you like?"

"Yes, I did actually."

"How was it, spill the deets to your bestie." Rose smirked, Chrom chuckled in response.

"Well, I tried to dedicate a song to her earlier today at the Music Club Concert, but that didn't work out too well because of the speakers freaking out. I was going to ask her to the dance that way."

"Oh yeah, I remember that, lucky Gaius was on the job."

"Mhmm, and after that I lost my nerve so I wasn't able to ask her out or dedicate a song to her."

"Aw that's too bad." She sighed.

"I did, get a chance to dance with her, after all the requests from the other girls calmed down." Chrom then twirled her around and when she returned, he dipped her smoothly.

"Color me impressed Chrom, if you danced even remotely as good as you did now then I'm sure she was spellbound."

"I think I'm the one who's spellbound. She was astonishly beautiful tonight. It's was really hard to keep my cool around her more so than normal; she was so breathtaking."

"Is she someone I know?"

Chrom couldn't help but chuckle at Rose. He knew for a fact that he was terrible at keeping secrets, and yet he managed to keep the most obvious one from Rose. "Yes, actually it's someone that you know very well actually."

"Someone I know very well..." She murmured in thought. "This is hard, I can't think of anyone that beautiful that I know!" Chrom merely laughed softly, he really picked a winner of a girl. Suddenly the lights dimmed as the music slowed down.

"_Alright everyone, now we're going to slow things down for the last handful of dances before we have to say goodnight_." Robin announced over the mic.

"Shall we?" Chrom asked as he extended his hand toward Rose.

"Of course." She nodded, as she took Chrom's hand, and rested her free hand on his shoulder, as they swayed softly to the slow beat of the music. Chrom rested his head on top of Rose's and when she wasn't looking, he swiftly kissed her hair.

"I love you..." He whispered.

"I'm sorry Chrom, did you say something? I couldn't hear you over the music."

"Oh nothing." He smiled, as the two continue to dance together for the rest of the songs that were played that night.


	16. Don't Speak Her Name

Rose yawned lazily as she waited at the front gate of the school. Today, Morgan and Morgana had an exhibition for an art contest they had entered in another town, while Owain and Inigo had a show they were acting in as apart of that same exhibition. She was waiting for Robin, and the others to show up at the gate with Chrom and Olivia.

"Tired?" Chrom asked with a grin.

"A little." Rose nodded.

"It is pretty early." He agreed. "Are you excited? We're taking the train today."

"Mhmm! It's my first time on one since I came to this school." Rose nodded.

"Oh I see, well, I hope you have a good time."

"Is Emm going to be here?"

"Yeah, but she's going to be at the exhibition a little later, she's reading to a group of kindergardeners at the library."

"Oh wow, she's so generous to find time to do stuff like that."

"Isn't she? Emm is such a wonderful person."

"Hey guys, ready to go?" Robin waved as he along with Lucina and Lissa joined them at the front gate.

"Yep!" Rose answered. "Where's Morgan, Morgana, Owain and Inigo?"

"They left earlier to get ready for the exhibition." Lucina informed.

"Yay! Let's go then!" Lissa cheered, as all the others began to follow as they began to walk to the train station. Olivia and Rose walked a little behind the group.

"It seems Chrom's really into you." Olivia smirked.

"What makes you say that?" Rose said raising an eyebrow.

"It was like you two were in your own little world before, it was like I wasn't even there." She laughed.

"I guess, but I don't think that Chrom likes me that way, the other day at the dance last week, he said I was one of his best friends, and it made me really happy to hear that." Rose smiled brightly.

"Well, you know what they say about romance, it's like a friendship on fire!" Olivia giggled.

"Oh Olivia..." Rose joined in her giggles as they reached the train station. They reached the turnstile as the train arrived on the platform.

"Uh what are you waiting for?" Robin asked Rose on the other side of the turnstile.

"I forgot to buy a ticket!" Rose suddenly remembered as she mumbled to herself.

"I swiped my pass twice, once for me, and once for you."

"Oh no, you don't have to..."

"I _want_ to, now get over here silly." Robin said playfully.

"Oh... okay..." She said reluctantly as she walked through the turnstile and onto the boarding platform. They all entered the train and began to take seats. Since it was a Sunday, the train wasn't as crowded as it usually was. Robin swiftly took a seat next to Olivia, and in response, Lucina took a seat next to Robin. Rose looked at her brother's strange behavior and shrugged it off, and despite what Lucina says, Rose figured that she still had feelings for Robin. Rose took a seat opposite of Robin, and Chrom and Lissa sat beside her.

"So what kind of exhibition is this?" Rose inquired.

"Mostly an art competition, and a stage performance." Robin answered.

"Owain and Indigo are acting in the performance, and the Morgs are entering a piece they did together in the contest." Lissa informed. "Owain's performances are the best! I go to every single one!"

"Owain has a very big flair for the dramatics." Chrom nodded.

"Owain, I'm not surprised, but Inigo?" Rose asked with a tilt of her head.

"Indigo and Owain are sort of an infamous acting duo." Olivia giggled.

"Infamous...?"

"You'll see later..." Olivia forewarned.

"Yo Rose." Robin called as he passed her a purple portable gaming console.

"Ah, what's this for?"

"It's your's."

"Huh...?"

"You have such a dumbfounded look on your face. I bought it for you so we can play together." Robin grinned. "Purple is your favorite color right?"

"Uh yeah, but aren't _Wintendo_ products expensive? Are you sure you want to give this to me?"

"Compared to the other consoles, it's actually the cheapest, and yeah I do. Don't worry I bought it with my own money that I earned."

"Doing what?" Rose asked. How was it possible for a high schooler to earn money so quickly.

"Stocks. It's sort of like a hobby for me. Think of it as an early Christmas gift."

"If you say so... Thank you so much." Rose smiled.

"Let's play _Colossal Crash Cousins_!" Lissa cheered.

"You have a _Wintendo 3ES_ too Lissa?" Rose asked.

"Yep! Mine's a really cute yellow."

"It is pretty cute!" Rose agreed, as she admired the charms that hung from it.

"I have one too." Chrom said, as he pulled a blue one from his pocket.

"Woah! You have the limited edition _Flame Crest _model!" Rose gasped.

"I'm guessing your a fan too?" Chrom chuckled at her excitement.

"Yes! It's so good! It's one of my favorite games besides _Resident Eve_!" Rose exclaimed. "Leo F. Roosevelt is my ideal guy. I love a guy with a dry sense of humor. Wits and good looks, sign me up." Rose sighed dreamily.

"He's pretty cute, I've seen the movies." Olivia agreed.

"Don't worry about games by the way." Robin said.

"What do you mean?" Rose asked as she opened the console and turned it on. Installed inside was a wide variety of games. "Wow, Robin! You did not!"

"I did." He laughed.

"Thank you so much for talking the time to do this."

"It's no problem, I like doing nice things for you." Robin nodded. "Now let's play some _Crash Cousins_."

Rose opened the game, and looked at the selection of characters to choose from. "Woah, the roster is pretty big..."

"Hey look, Mimi is here! Her name is different though... Kendall?"

"That's because they have both the male and female versions."

"Oh okay, makes sense, wait, where's Silver?" Rose asked. "You can't have Kendall without Sliver! They're best friends! Soul mates even!"

"Yeah, Sliver didn't make it, but his daughter Isabella did. He's Kendall's Final Crash." Chrom informed.

"Well, that's cool too. Isabella deserves it after all she's been through." Robin nodded. "I'm going to choose female Kendall."

"I'll gonna be Princess Pomegranate!" Lissa cheered

"I'll be Prince Mark." Chrom said as he choose his character.

"He's from an earlier _Flame Crest_ right?" Rose asked.

"Yep, the very first one."

"Woah neat."

"I'll be Sulk, his taunt makes me laugh." Robin grinned. "Let's start."

The match was pretty much even, however, Lissa was the first to lose all her stock due to Princess Pomegranate's lack of defense. Surprisingly, Robin was next to fall. His play style was really off compared to normal, probably nervous because Olivia was watching. That left Rose and Chrom left, each having one life left, however Mark had more damage than Kendall had.

"You're doing a pretty good for newbie." Chrom commented.

"Thanks, Robin usually lets me borrow his game."

"Too bad I've been playing this game longer than you."

"Wha-"

Suddenly as Rose went into attack with Kendall, Mark guarded, then grabbed her and flinged her into the air as she was sent soaring out of the arena.

"And that's game." Chrom stated matter of factually.

"Dammit!" Rose exclaimed. "You got me good."

"You weren't too bad yourself." Chrom said.

"I want to learn how to play, it looks fun." Olivia smiled.

"Oh, I could teach you." Robin offered.

"I want to learn too!" Lucina suddenly pipped up. "I-if that's okay."

"Sure I could teach you too." Robin smiled. A hint of red could be seen lightly dusting Lucina's cheeks at the sight of Robin's smile.

The six continued to play and talk merrily for the rest of the hour long train ride, until they finally reached their destination. Rose and Lissa stretched as they got off the train.

"Finally we made it!" Lissa exclaimed. "I can't wait to see Owain's performance."

"You sure seem close to Owain."

"Mhmm! He's like a little brother to me, and he actually treats me with the respect of the mature older sister I am."

"Sure, keep dreaming." Chrom chimed in with a laugh as he walked pass the two.

"Chrom you jerkface!" Lissa shouted after him, sticking her tongue out at him.

"Woah..." Rose murmured as they walked into the community center the art contest and performance was going to be held. "I feel... underdressed..."

"Don't sweat it, you're fine. Just a bunch of people being stuffy and old." Robin whispered to her.

"We should hurry if we want to watch Owain's and Inigo's performance." Lucina pointed out, and then the four began to rush to the rather grand auditorium. Rose was starting to get use to the luxurious buildings... no, that's a lie, it would be something that she would never get use to. The curtains rose as the play began. It was a humorous story of two best friends who were foils of each other on the search for treasure. James played by Owain, was a flirty philander who used his sword skills to impress women. Inigo played Elliot, another skilled swordsman who unlike James, was often the voice of reason, however, he was an oddball in his own right. Throughout their journey they get into hilarious mishaps, and after years treasure searching they realize that it's not always the end result that matters but the journey that is the true reward. When the play was over, the two was given a standing ovation by the audience. Some people even had tears in their eyes from some of the gut busting shenanigans the two characters got into.

"Aw man, that was awesome." Robin laughed.

"Yeah, it's been a while since I laughed that hard myself." Lucina agreed.

"Those two are really good actors. It's weird, when you really think about it, the roles they were playing should have been switched, but they managed to do an outstanding job." Rose commented.

"Well, that's what acting is all about, playing roles outside your comfort zone." Olivia pointed out.

"That's true!" Rose agreed. "Is it okay if I go by the art gallery? I'm interested to see what Morgan and Morgana are up to."

"Sure, we have to wait for Inigo and Owain, so it's okay if you swing by there." Robin nodded.

"I'll go with you." Chrom piped in.

"Okay, we'll see you guys later at the art contest award ceremony in bit." Lissa waved, as the two walked away.

"Are you having fun so far?" Chrom asked as they walked out of the auditorium.

"Mhmmm! I laughed so hard my stomach was starting to hurt." Rose smiled as they entered the art exhibition room. "I'm looking forward to seeing what Morgan's and Morgana's artwork is like."

"There's always a dream like quality to their work, it's very interesting to see."

"Oh wow, sounds wonderful." Rose said. They then began to look around at all the different works that were entered into the contest. They walked up to a nearby statue. Rose titled her head as she looked at the abstract figure before her.

"This one is called... _Bold and Brash._" Chrom read.

"I don't really get it to be honest..." Rose admitted.

"Well, sometimes art isn't meant to be understood." Chrom chuckled.

"I guess your right." Rose agreed as they moved onto another section of the exhibition.

"This is a nice landscape."

"It's so nostalgic... it reminds me of my old house in Chon'sin. Even though we didn't have much, my mother use to plant a bunch of flowers around the house to liven the place up. There was also a sunflower field nearby that I use to play in with Say'ri."

"That sounds lovely." He said, smiling at Rose. He was happy that she wanted to share such an intimate memory with him.

"Hey big sis!"

"Oh hey Morgana, Morgan!" Rose waved as the two approached her. The each gave her a big hug.

"Come see our painting!" Morgan cheered, as the two began to pull her in their direction.

"Oh okay." She smiled at their enthusiasm, as they reached a rather large framed canvas. Her mouth dropped in awe at the sight. It was a portrait of her, Robin, Blake, Trisha and both Morgana and Morgan. The six of them were walking in a dreamy landscape, during a star shower. It was simply titled, "_My Family_" and she read the description:

"_It is no small fact that we are adopted. Our parents have made this clear for as long as we can remember, but have also made it clear that it doesn't change the fact that they love us with all their hearts. Our older brother Robin is also adopted, however recently we discovered that Robin also has a twin. From the moment we met her it was like we met a long lost sister that we were catching up with. It was like it was meant to be. It was like she belonged with us._

_ Despite the fact that we are a nuclear family that is not completely of the same blood, our bonds and love for each are strong as if we were one. Thus through this painting we try to evaluate what it truly means to be a family."_

A wave of emotion overcame her as tears started to roll down her cheeks.

"Rose...?" Chrom asked surprised at her sudden tears.

"What's the matter big sis?" Morgan asked worriedly.

"Do you not like it?" Morgana ask sadly.

"No, I love it!" Rose sobbed. "It's so beautiful, and I feel so honored and happy that you feel that way about me..."

"Awww Rose..." Morgan smiled as he and Morgana embraced Rose. "Of course you're family. You've been family since the moment we've met!"

"Thank you..." Rose sniffled.

"We gotta go, the judges will come around to talk to us soon to make their decision." Morgana informed.

"They're going to close the exhibition for judging. We're sorry we made you cry sis..." Morgan added.

"No, it's okay, it's happy tears!" Rose smiled. "I'll see you at the award ceremony okay?"

"I'll make sure she's okay, don't worry." Chrom reassured.

"Okay, bye Rose! Bye Chrom!" Morgan and Morgana waved, as the two walked out of the center. They sat at a nearby tree.

"Here." Chrom said as he passed Rose a handkerchief.

"Thank you. Sorry I'm so... emotional."

"It's okay... actually I think it's one of the best things about you. You're very empathic."

"I guess so, thanks." Rose smiled, suddenly her stomach began to rumble. "So hungry..."

"I had a feeling you would say that." Chrom chuckled. "There's actually refreshments being served over there."

"Really! Thank gods I'm starving!" Rose cheered, suddenly a thought occurred to her. "Didn't you say that Emmeryn was suppose to be here too?"

"Yes, she's really late now that you mention it..." Chrom thought out loud. Suddenly he was interrupted by the ringing of his cell phone. "Speak of Naga, that's probably her. You go get some food while I answer this."

"Okay." Rose nodded, and then walked to the refreshment table. There were lots of snacks that her stomach was thankful for. "I should get enough for Chrom too..." She said as she piled a stack of food onto a plate, and happily walked back to the tree they were sitting at. "Hey Chrom, they had a sweet spread! Lot's of sandwiches and cookies and the brownies look really tasty-..." She suddenly stopped as she looked at the expression on Chrom's face. His face was completely white and pale, his eyes wide with shock and fear, he was breathing heavily and was shaking.

"Chrom! Chrom! Are you okay?!" Rose said in a panic, as she ran up to him.

"Emm... Emmeryn..." He managed to stuttered out.

"What about Emmeryn? What's going on?"

"Emmeryn was assassinated..."


	17. An Unexpected Guest

Rose sighed as she looked at the empty desk a couple of rows ahead of her. It had been two weeks since the art and drama exhibition at the community center. Two weeks since Chrom was last in class. Two weeks since Emmeryn's death. She could remember that moment so vividly, how all the color had drained from Chrom's face when he had received the news of Emmeryn's passing, the way she held him as his warm tears dripped onto her shoulders. It was an understatement to say that Chrom took it hard. She could still feel his trembles as she held him in her arms.

Somehow, while Emmeryn was reading to a group of children at the public library, a group of extremist who were a members of a political party that strongly opposed Emmeryn's political standings made it into the library and attacked. Phila and the rest of the secret service were killed in their attempt to protect Emmeryn. Not wanting the children caught in the cross fire, Emmeryn gave herself up to protect them, and as a result, none of the children were hurt. However, Emmeryn's life was lost in exchange.

The day of the funeral was a hard one. It rained endlessly, as if Naga herself weeped for the lost of such brilliant life. Rose remembered how hard Lissa cried, and how lifeless Chrom looked as they took one last look at their sister, and their guardian.

"Rose."

"Oh, uh, yes Miss Tiki." Rose piped up, her thoughts interrupted.

"Would you and Robin be a dear and give Chrom the homework from all his classes that he's missed? He hasn't been on campus for a while, and since you two are the class representatives it would be awfully helpful if you could deliver what he's missed so he doesn't fall too behind."

"Of course Miss Tiki." Robin and Rose agreed, as she handed them a stack of papers. The bell then rang ending class. Rose then walked up to Robin.

"I'm super worried about Chrom... Lissa came back to school after a week, but he's still not back yet." Rose whispered to her brother.

"Yeah, Lissa deals with things by being around people to get her mind off of it, but Chrom has a tendency to isolate himself."

"That's definitely not healthy." Rose sighed. "We need to see him ASAP."

"Yeah, I have a few things to take care of after school. I'll get some stuff done and get Gaius and Lon'qu and we'll head over. You should go ahead of us to check up on him and make sure he's okay. I'm really worried about him."

"Okay, sounds like a plan." Rose agreed.

* * *

><p>Chrom slowly opened his eyes, he had drifted in out of sleep for the past hour and was unaware of what time of day it even was. Saying that he was out of it was an understatement. He turned toward Marth who softly nuzzled him.<p>

"What's the matter, are you hungry Mar?" He asked quietly, as he turned on his back and gently raised the kitten up. The black cat merely meowed in response. He slowly rose out of his bed, and walked downstairs as Marth followed. He walked into the kitchen and poured milk and cat food into two separate bowls, Marth graciously helped himself.

_DING DONG_

Chrom rose from where he was sitting with Marth, and slugged himself to the front door. He peered through the window to see a sight that he craved to see for the past two weeks.

"_What is Rose doing here... Gods, I look like mess!_" He thought, as he scrambled to neaten himself in a nearby mirror. He sighed as he looked at his messy hair, baggy sweatpants and hoodie, and reluctantly opened the door. He was greeted with one of the sweetest smiles, and his heart nearly leaped out of his chest in response.

"Chrom! I'm so glad to see you!" Rose cheered as she quickly pulled Chrom into a hug. Luckily for him, Rose couldn't see how red his face was.

"I'm glad to see you too..." He smiled, as he slowly hugged her back, he was reluctant but after a moment he let her go.

Rose looked up at Chrom, he was pale and there were dark circles around his eyes. "Chrom are you doing okay? You look like you haven't slept in days."

"To be honest, I haven't been sleeping very well. I just woke up 20 minutes ago, and it was the first hour or two of sleep I had in a while..."

"Gods! Chrom that isn't good at all. Have you eaten anything yet?"

"Uh... I don't remember the last time I ate more than a bite of anything." He admitted.

"Well, lucky I bought some stuff from the market. I'm going to cook you some dinner!" Rose cheered as she entered Chrom's house. "Woooow..." Rose murmured in awe. The Exalt estate was something to behold, never had she been in such a house, no scratch that, it was more like a mansion.

"The kitchen is this way." Chrom pointed out as Rose followed.

The kitchen matched the rest of the house, it was grand and elegant and looked well stocked. Rose looked down when she her a meow from her feet.

"Mar-Mar!" She exclaimed as she picked up the kitten. "It's been a while, you've gotten bigger."

"He eats like no one's business. Probably going through a growth spurt." Chrom laughed.

"Awww… Are you going through a growth spurt Mar-Mar?" Rose cooed in a babyish voice. "You're gonna become a big strong cat when you grow up aren't you?" Marth merely stared at her blankly for a moment and licked her face and she couldn't help but laugh. "Don't worry Mar, I'll play with you after dinner."

"You really don't have to cook me-" Chrom started.

"AH, I won't take no for an answer." Rose interrupted as she tied up her hair into a bun and washed her hands.

"But-"

"Chicken is okay with you right?"

Chrom sighed in defeat. "Yes…"

"Good because you look like you could use the protein…. You look awful."

"Uh thanks…?" Chrom thanked sarcastically and unsurely and was met with a laugh from Rose. "_My crush is here at my house and I'm just here wearing gross sweats…_" He thought nervously. "_Come on Chrom, snap out of it, the girl of your dreams is here cooking dinner for you and you're just standing there moping. Get a hold of yourself!_" He chided to himself. "Do you need help with anything. At least let me lessen the burden." He offered to Rose.

"It's no burden at all, and you're welcomed to help if you want. It's actually kind of refreshing to be able to cook again." Rose smiled as she began to knee some dough for the biscuits. "Can you help cut these carrots up for the stew?"

"Yes, of course." Chrom nodded. "There is a community kitchen in the dining hall you know."

"Yeah but it's not the same…. Cooking for just yourself isn't as fun as when you cook for other people to share with."

"You have a point."

"I'm so use to cooking for my mother. I use to make dinner for her every evening when she got back from work. That's how I became so good at it."

"I'm looking forward to tasting it then." Chrom smiled. "Emm use to make us dinner during elementary school. During middle school she got elected to office and was too busy to cook. I miss her cooking."

"Chrom, I know you're missing more than her cooking. You're still grieving and that's okay but you haven't been at school for the past couple of weeks."

"It's so hard, everyday is a struggle now."

"I know, I know that feeling too well, and it will take time to-… Chrom?" Rose turned to see tears slowly drip down Chrom's face.

"I miss her so much…" Chrom sighed. " I don't know what I'll do without her. I feel so lost and confused."

Rose then pulled Chorm into an embrace. "I know Chrom, it's not easy. I did the exact thing you've been doing for the past week. I hid myself from the world. I didn't go to school, I barely ate, and I slept endlessly. I just existed not really doing anything for a month. It felt terrible, but you know what I realized?" Rose said as she wiped away tears from Chrom's eyes.

"What?"

"That my mother would be furious that I was missing so much school! Man would she have chewed me out! Also she probably was watching me from heaven and was hating to see me so upset and moping around like that. So I slowly went back to school and decided that no matter how hard it would be, I would take things one day at a time. Chrom, Emmeryn wouldn't like to see you like this. She would want you to live your life vigorously."

"You're right…"

"Also, the children she was reading to at the library made it back to their parents safely. I think Emmeryn was confident in her choice. She trusted that you'll be able to take care of Lissa."

"She trust me..."

"Lissa isn't here at home, she's at school around her friends. I understand that people deal with things differently but I don't think it's very healthy to be alone at a time like this."

"Yeah, it's really isn't good. Plus I'm really making you worry aren't I?

"Mhmmm!"

"Okay no more moping around."

"Promise?"

"I promise." Chrom nodded. Rose smiled and gave him another big hug, and she even swayed cutely. Chrom shly returned it, he felt as though his heart would burst from happiness.

"Now, let's get this cooking party started!" Rose cheered as she turned on a nearby radio and upbeat music started to play. Rose then swayed her hip and playfully bumped Chrom. He laughed at her enthusiasm. "You have a great smile."

"Do I...?" Chrom questioned, he could feel heat rushing to his face.

Suddenly the doorbell rang as Marth rushed to the door.

"I'll get that." Chrom said as he exited the kitchen and sighed a bit in relief. "Oh and thanks, for you know, being here…"

"Anytime!" Rose smiled.

* * *

><p>"Not for nothing Bubbles, but why did we send Bubblena ahead of us?"<p>

"So she could get a chance to give Chrom a pep talk. She knows more than anyone how he's feeling right now." Robin answered. "Plus I knew you two would take a while to get ready what with Lon'qu's kendo practice and you doing… whatever little Gaiuses do." The door suddenly opened to reveal a tired and strained looking Chrom.

Gaius merely gave a long whistle at the sight Chrom. "Damn Blue, you're looking pretty… well blue."

"You look like crap Exalt." Lon'qu murmured.

"Gee thanks guys, some best friends you are…." Chrom sighed as they walked in the house.

"How are you feeling bro?" Robin asked.

"To be honest, earlier I was a mess but now I feel better."

"I'm glad to hear that, we were seriously worried about you." Robin gave a big sigh of relief as they reached the kitchen. He noticed his sister sighing at the counter. "Yo, what's up sis?"

"Peeling potatoes takes forever."

"Hey, don't sweat it Bubblena, that's what we're here for." Gaius reassured. "Giggles go help her with the potatoes." He said as he gave Lon'qu a light shove in her direction.

"What else do we have to do?" Robin asked.

"Chrom can finish chopping the salad, Gaius you can get started on the pasta, and Robin can you put the chicken in the oven and then help with dessert."

"Gotcha." Robin nodded as he did what he was told.

"Why can't I handle dessert?" Gaius demanded.

"Because you would eat it all in a heartbeat." Robin retorted.

"You guys suck." Gaius said bitterly as he turned on the stove to boil water for the pasta.

"How was kendo practice Lon'qu?." Rose asked as the two peeled potatoes for the stew.

"Good."

"What did you do?"

"Practiced my technique."

"You aren't much for conversation aren't you?" Rose chuckled softly.

"Probably not."

Rose smiled in amusement and then looked down at the potatoes sitting on the cutting board. Somehow Lon'qu managed to already peel and dice five potatoes.

"Woah! Lon'qu you're amazing!"

His face scrunched up into one of bewilderment and confusion, "What are you squabbling about woman?"

"How did you peel all those potatoes so fast? I look down and they're almost all done!"

"You get excited over the most peculiar things…" Lon'qu sighed.

"Robin, Chrom, Gaius! Look at how fast Lon'qu is!" Rose called. The three looked over to see Lon'qu peeling potatoes at what seemed like the speed of light. Blinking meant that you missed some of his lightning fast actions.

"Done." He said blankly.

"Damn Lon'qu…" Robin said in awe.

"That was amazing…" Chrom gasped.

"Giggles is the Potato King…" Gaius announced equally in awe.

"All of you are idiots." Lon'qu sighed.

* * *

><p>After another hour or so of cooking, dinner was finally done. The table was set courtesy of Gaius, because he was not allowed near the cake that they baked for dessert. They all finally sat down at the rather grand dinner table and was just about to eat.<p>

"Are you getting your appetite back Chrom?" Robin asked.

"Yeah a little, looking at and smelling all this food is certainly helping." Chrom answered.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's dig in!" Gaius cheered.

_DIIIIING DOOOONG_

"Any idea on who that could be?" Chrom asked.

"Don't look at me, I didn't invite anyone else..." Robin informed.

"I'll go get it!" Rose volunteered as she cheerfully leaped out of her seat at the table and went to answer the door.

"Wait slow down, we don't who..." Chrom stopped mid sentence when he saw a rather familiar car parked in the driveway.

"Welcome to the Exalt residence, how may I help you?" Rose smiled as she answered the door. She then squinted in confusion as she looked upon the young male who appeared to be in his mid twenties. "You look awfully like my friend Lucina..."

"Well, I would hope so, she's suppose to be my cousin." The man laughed. "I kinda like being an Exalt you know? Has it's perks."

"I had a feeling it was you Marth." Chrom said as he approached the two at the door.

"Marth?!" Rose exclaimed in bewilderment.

"Yes, that's my name. Is there a problem?"

"Don't worry, she's just confused because our cat is named Marth." Chrom informed.

"Since when do we have a cat...?" Marth asked raising an eyebrow. As if on cue, Marth the cat walked up to the door and nuzzled Rose's ankle with a purr. He picked up the cat to take a good look at it. "You do know this cat is a female right?"

"Whaaaat?!" Rose and Chrom exclaimed in unison.

* * *

><p>"So you're telling me that you didn't have the heart to tell her that you already had a cousin named Marth?" Marth questioned. Everyone was now all settled at the dinner table eating and chatting merrily.<p>

"Well, Rose seemed to really like the name... Sorry I didn't say anything earlier." Chrom apologized.

"It's okay, don't worry about it. I guess Marth is now Martha the cat." Rose giggled.

"What are you doing all the way here Marth? Don't you go to Altea university?" Robin asked.

"Well, Lucina called me because she was worried about Chrom. She said he wasn't doing so well, so I decided to check on you just in case." Marth informed.

"Thanks Marth, you're always looking after me and giving me advice like an older brother." Chrom said with a grin.

"It's no problem at all." He chuckled.

Gaius then sulked into his chair. "When do we have the caaaaaake?"

"You are a child." Lon'qu sneered. "Look at you, you didn't even eat any vegetables from the stew besides the potatoes. Disgrace."

"Well, it's nice to see you two haven't changed very much." Marth laughed.

"Is that really a good thing I wonder?" Chrom chuckled.

"Robin on the other hand, you seem pretty different."

"Huh, really?"

"Well, for starters, I think this is the first time I've seen you and you don't have your head stuck in a book."

"Ha! I guess you got me there." Robin chuckled.

"...and you seem a lot more outgoing and cheerful." Marth continued.

"A lot of things have changed ever since Rose came around. I suppose for the better I guess." Robin said thoughtfully.

"Rose... I don't ever remember seeing you growing up." Marth said as he began to think deeply. It wasn't the first time he heard the name, but he couldn't remember the context. "Oh, I remember now, you're that girl Chrom lik-OW!" He was suddenly interrupted by Chrom crushing his foot underneath the table.

"Shut up big mouth!" Chrom murmured to Marth. "I can't tell you anything can I?"

"Are you okay Marth?" Robin asked.

"Just bit my tongue..." He uttered in pain. "What's the deal with you two, you guys look so much alike it's scary."

"It's a complicated." Rose and Robin huffed in sync.

"Uh..."

"She's my long lost twin sister, far fetched I know, but that's the basic story." Robin informed.

"Oh wow... that does sound complicated." Marth laughed.

"Okay Gaius, everyone's finished dinner." Rose informed.

"Does that mean...?" Gaius perked up.

"Yep, it's cake time!" She nodded.

"Yeeeeees!" Gaius cheered as Chrom began to cut the cake.

"You don't want any Lon'qu?" Rose inquired when she noticed that he was the only one who didn't have a slice.

"No."

"Can I have your share then?" Gaius asked hopefully.

"Be my guess." He sighed.

"Sweet!" Gaius grinned as he took another portion of cake.

They all littered the the living room as mostly everyone enjoyed their dessert. Martha strolled up to Rose and nuzzled her face softly.

"Do you want to play Martha?" Rose smiled, then she suddenly remembered the whole reason she came here. She ran to her backpack and grabbed a stack of papers and put them in front of Chrom. "Here."

"What's this?" He asked curiously.

"All the homework you missed."

"Not my ideal present but thanks..."

"We have midterms next week too." Robin chimed in.

"Wonderful..." Chrom sighed sarcastically.

"Don't worry Blue, we'll help you catch up." Gaius reassured.

"You mean Robin, Rose and I will help. You'll probably get distracted." Lon'qu corrected.

"I resent that!" Gaius snapped back.

Robin then looked up at the time on a nearby clock. It was already past 9pm. "We should held back to campus, it's getting late."

"Yeah, true." Gaius agreed.

"You'll be back soon won't you Chrom?" Rose asked in concern as Chrom and Marth saw them to the door.

"I'll be back in class by Monday."

"Promise?" Rose asked as she extended her pinky out.

"Promise." He agreed with a soft smile, as they crossed pinkies and shook on it.

"Don't worry, I'll make sure he does. Luckily today is friday and I can just drive back to campus on sunday, so I get to spend the weekend here with little Chromy." Marth informed as he rested a hand on Chrom's Shoulder.

"Gee thanks." Chrom thanked sarcastically.

The four of them then began their walk back to campus, as Chrom and Marth watched from the porch.

"You got a good set of friends there." Marth commented.

"They're the greatest friends a person could ask for." Chrom agreed.

"It was nice to see them all again, and Rose... I didn't know you were into tomboys..." Marth smirked.

"Marth, I swear to Naga I'm never telling you anything again." He sighed as the two returned inside the house.


	18. Study Group Go!

"Chrom... Chrom...!"

"Huh...?" The teen yawned sleepily. He opened his heavy eyelids slowly to see stormy gray eyes peering into his.

"Are you okay? Still not sleeping well?" Rose asked with concern. She gently shifted some of his blue bangs out of his eyes and laughed. "You look like you could use a haircut, how do you even see through all that hair in your eyes?" Chrom jumped back at the realization of how close he was to her, their faces merely inches apart. "Oh, I'm sorry, did I startle you?" She asked as she took a seat beside him in the library.

"N-no... don't fret about it." He reassured nervously, his heart was running like a horse on a race track. He brushed his long bangs out of the way... maybe it really was time for a haircut. His normally neat and trim hair was now growing wildly past his shoulders and his bangs hovered over the bottom tip of his nose. He was at a lost about Emmeryn's death, and so caught up in catching up with homework and studying for midterms that he was neglecting himself and his appearance.

"Here, I have a temporary fix." She smiled as she brought out something from her bag. "Taaadaaa!" In her hands was a rubber band, and a few hair clips, albeit they were a bit girly and floral.

"Oh... how thoughtful of you, thanks." He grinned, despite the clips not being his style he appreciated her help.

"I'll fix it for you." She said as she got up and began to put his hair up in a ponytail and pulled back any remaining bangs with clips. Chrom sat awkwardly and quietly as she did this, her hand lightly grazed his ear as he shivered nervously at how close she was to him. "All done!" Rose cheered. "Now you're really ready to study."

"Thank you." He smiled. There was something about being around Rose that made him feel good. Despite not being in the best state of mind or being at the moment, he suddenly felt a lot more... well, alive. Even though his life was messy at the moment, just being in the same room as her made him feel significantly better. Was this what being in love like...?

"Oh, I bought you some coffee. You're going to need it. When the other's arrive we're going to be studying for quite a while."

"Thanks again." He was handed it and took a sip of it and immediate perked up. "This is really good..."

"It is? I made it myself. I'm glad you like it."

"_She's super thoughtful and sweet_." Chrom thought to himself with a smile. "_Is there anything Rose can't do? Wait no, what am I thinking? Chrom stop day dreaming!_" He then buried his face in the table they were sitting at in embarrassment. "_I have to stop crushing on her so hard, isn't it against the bro code to date your best friend's sister or something? Haha, who am I kidding, __**us**__?__ Going out? I'm getting ahead of myself, I can't even be in the same room as her without blushing like crazy."_

Suddenly he lifted his head up as he heard something being dropped on the table.

"Here, eat this."

"Oh, Lon'qu when did you get here?" Chrom asked.

"While you were half asleep just now silly." Rose giggled. "Man, you're really out of it."

"Oh thank you." Chrom thanked. Lon'qu was a peculiar one. He never really spoke much to anyone, but usually showed his emotions through actions rather than words. This was his way to say, "I'm worried about you", to his friend. Inside the container was brown rice and beef curry and vegetables. Chrom opened it and realized that he hadn't eaten all day and energetically started to eat it.

"That smells good..." Rose said as she bit her lip.

"Here." Lon'qu shoved another container toward Rose.

"Lon'qu...!" Rose's eyes sparkled at his kind sentiment. Give either Rose or Robin food, and they'll love you forever.

"D-don't get the wrong idea! I made lunch this morning and accidentally made extra!" He said as his face began to turn a little red.

"It's still nice of you." She smiled as she took a bite. "Wow, this is really good!"

"It is, isn't it?" Chrom agreed. "Lon'qu is a great cook."

"S-shut up!" He stammered as he covered his face, unaware of what to do with the barrage of compliments.

* * *

><p>"I think you have to factor this out... and then add three to both sides... and x equals 12? I hope that makes sense..." Sumia said as she finished solving a math problem.<p>

"That's right! You're starting getting the hang of this." Cordelia nodded. The group was now reaching their third hour of studying, and had already tackled history and english and now was attempting math.

"Uh, are you sure it's 12? I got 42." Gaius said scratching his head.

"If Cordelia got 12, then it gotta be right." Donnel summarized.

"I got 12." Robin chimed in.

"Me too." Rose nodded.

"Okay, if the wonder twins both got 12, on top of Cordelia, then there's no doubt that it's right, sorry Gaius." Sully said.

"Man! I'm never going to get this math stuff!" Gaius said in frustration as he thew his pencil on the table.

"Come on Gaius, I'm sure if you could if you tried some more." Chrom reassured and then yawned. "I'm not the best at algebra either, but when I buckle down and study I get it eventually."

"What if you looked at the numbers as sweets." Rose suggested. Everyone turned and looked at her as if she had two heads. "Well, it might help you visualize everything better."

"Hey, I'm not gonna knock until I try." Gaius shrugged.

"Try to imagine that 'x' represents the amount of honey cakes you're solving for in this next problem." Rose suggested.

A moment passed as everyone worked at the next problem.

"Okay moment of truth Gaius, what did you get?" Robin asked.

"56...?" Gaius answer hesitantly.

"I got 56." Cordelia confirmed.

"So did I." Rose added.

"Me three!" Robin said. "You did Gaius!"

"Yes!" Gaius cheered as he slammed his pencil on the table."Ha! Take that math!"

"How are you doing Chrom... Chrom?" Sumia asked. The others turned to see Chrom sitting up sleeping.

"Yo, Blue, wake up!" Gaius shouted as he reached over and shook him.

"J-just five more minutes Emm..." He mumbled drowsily. A look of concern flashed on everyone's faces.

"Poor guy..." Sully sighed.

"His heart's still probably aching over Emmeryn's accident..." Donnel concluded.

"Maybe we should take a half hour dinner break and see where we go from there?" Cordelia suggested.

"That sounds like a plan." Sumia agreed, then everyone started to dispense to recuperate from their long study session.

Robin then got up and went over to Chrom, and lightly shook him. "Chrom, wake up, come on bro, this is no place for a nap."

"Robin...?" He muttered sleepily as he rubbed his eyes. "Oh gods sorry, I didn't mean to fall asleep like that."

"It's okay, we're taking a break. I'm guessing you still having trouble sleeping?"

"Yeah, I try to close my eyes and sleep at night, but I just can't. I'm always so anxious and when I do get a wink of sleep, it's at the most bizarre times."

"I figured as much, that's why I brought you this!" Robin then pulled out a CD from behind his back.

"What's that?"

"Just some songs I burned to a CD to help you unwind and relax. There are some research that shows peaceful music can help calm you down enough to sleep."

"At this moment I'm desperate enough to try anything. Thanks Robin." Chrom smiled gratefully.

* * *

><p>"<strong>CHUG CHUG CHUG CHUG CHUG<strong>!" A group of boys chanted around Stahl in the dining hall.

"Dude! That's his 16th milkshake!" Vaike cheered.

"Alright!"

"A new record!"

Rose raised an eyebrow as she passed by the group. "Shouldn't you guys be studying? Midterms start the day after tomorrow."

"Naw, teach is totally going to ace it naturally." Vaike said proudly.

"Somehow I highly doubt that..." Rose sighed under her breath. "Boys are dumb..."

"I bet your sweet ass you can't make that 17 straight milkshakes!" Sully challenged.

"You're on!" Stahl grinned as another milkshake was slid across the table to him.

"Sully, not you too!" Rose said in surprise.

"What? Gotta edge off the stress of studying somehow." Sully insisted.

"Whatever you say..." Rose said with a shake of her head. Her eyes scanned the room for an empty seat, and spotted Lon'qu off to the side at a table by himself.

"Hey..." She greeted as she sat down in the seat across from him. He immediately tensed up at the sight of her.

"What do you want?"

"Hey, hey... relax, I just thought you could use some company, that's all."

"Hmmph. Just stay your distance."

"Aw come on, we've been getting along lately right? We hang out together with Gaius, Chrom and my brother all the time."

"Not by choice." He mumbled.

Rose then reached over and hit his shoulder. "Wow, rude!"

"Ow! What is with you woman? If I can even call you that, you beast!"

"Hey! I'll kick your ass..." Rose started as she pointed to a nearby guy walking past them. "I'll kick his ass, heck I'll kick my own ass!"

There was a brief moment silence as Lon'qu's face twitched into a small smile. It was faint but it was there before Lon'qu quickly covered his face to muffle his snickers.

"Are... you laughing? Genuinely laughing?!" Rose said in shock.

"N-no!"

"Yes you are, quit covering your face, I can hear you!"

"For the last time I'm not! Even if I was laughing, it would because of how asininely dumb you are!"

"What did you say!?" Rose as she got up from her seat.

"Oh, are you deaf too?"

"Okay that's it!" Rose was about to lunge at Lon'qu when suddenly his phone began to beep. He merely raised his hand at her and turned away and answered his phone.

"Yes... okay understood." He nodded as he hung up. "The rest of the study group is cancelled today. It will resume tomorrow after school, Harpy."

"Quit calling me that!" Rose snapped bitterly. "And to think that I actually thought you were cute when you smiled."

"W-what?" He asked defensively, a tint of blush dusting his cheeks.

"Wow, you were the one calling me deaf earlier I said that-" She paused as a thought crossed her mind as she remembered earlier with the extra lunch he made. Lon'qu was quite easy to embarrass... "I said that you were cute when you smiled."

"I said I wasn't smiling!"

"Yeah... now that I look at you, you're pretty cute even when you're not smiling." She said with threatening devious grin, knowing full well that she was getting under his skin.

"Shut up!"

"You're so handsome Lon'qu!" She smiled as she skipped over to his side of the table and sat down next to him.

"LIES!"

Rose then rested her face in her hands as she pouted. "You don't believe me? It's true though, it's super cool how aloof and collected you are."

"STOP SPILLING LIES." He shouted as he inched away from her. At this point his face was red as a tomato. He just needed more little push... Rose then rested her head on his shoulder and gave him the sweetest smile she could muster, angels paled in comparison of how innocent her smile was. Lon'qu then pulled away as he fell off his chair.

"What are you two doing?" Robin asked as he approached the two with his plate full of dinner.

"Your sister is a siren! A demon!" Lon'qu shouted as he pointed from the ground to Rose. He then got up and ran out of the cafeteria.

"What did you do to him?" Robin sighed.

"Me? I was actually being nice to him! He was the one calling me a beast and a Harpy. I was telling him how cool and handsome he was."

"So... you were flirting with him?" He asked with a raised eyebrow and a smirk.

No! Nononono! It's not what your thinking. See when you flirt with someone you want a positive reaction from the opposite party. I was doing the opposite, I was trying to annoy him to get back at him!" Rose defended.

"Uh huh..." Robin said with skepticism.

"He smiled and laughed at me for some reason so I thought I would use that to my advantage."

"Wait, Lon'qu laughed? He smiled?! At _**you**_?"

"I don't know, I guess I said something funny to him." Rose shrugged.

"Wow..." Robin said in disbelief.

"Have you ever seen him laugh or smile before?"

"I have, he does all the time with Gaius, Chrom, and I. I've just never seen him smile or laugh in public, especially not in front of a girl."

"So I'm guessing he makes himself unpleasant as possible to repel girls away?"

"Basically... but don't be too hard on him. Even without the whole problem with females, he's still a very shy person. He doesn't know how to respond to compliments and praise so he get's embarrassed. He just... has trouble dealing with people sometimes."

"So are you saying that I shouldn't have done what I did?"

"I don't know... maybe don't push his buttons like that anymore, okay?"

"Fine, but..." Rose sighed reluctantly. "He said that he only hangs around me because I'm always around you."

"He said that?"

"That's what he was implying. I just thought he could use some company since he was sitting here all by himself, and then he got all snarky with me. I tried making the point that we've been getting along better because we've been hanging out together with you, Gaius, and Chrom lately, but the he said that he doesn't like to be around me by choice."

"Oh, that just means he likes you."

Rose nearly choked on the soda she was drinking. "Wait, WHAT!?"

"He used to say the same types of things to me when he first moved next door to our house, and when I tried to play with him when we were younger. It's just some defense mechanism he puts up because he's afraid of becoming close with you and becoming friends."

"Hmmmm..."

"I know it's hard to believe, but it's true. I went through the same thing with him when I first met him. Just give him time to open up okay? He doesn't know what to do when he get's comfortable around someone, so he kind of just lashes out. Promise, you'll be more patient with him?"

"Okay, I Promise..." Rose sighed reluctantly. "Where's Chrom and Gaius?"

"Oh, Chrom said he just wanted to sleep so he headed back to our dorm room to crash, and Gaius... honestly, who in Naga's name knows where he went off too. He just has this habit of mysteriously disappearing to do little Gaius things, what ever that is..." Robin shrugged.

"Chrom's still not sleeping well?" Rose asked in concern.

"Yeah, he says that he's always too anxious to fall asleep, and the when he actually does he has really bad nightmares."

"That sounds terrible, I wish there was something I could do to help..."

"Well, I gave him CD of relaxing music, hopefully that will help him calm down."

"What kind of music did you burn onto it?"

"Just some classical music and instrumentals."

"Oh okay. Is that why the rest of the study session was postponed?"

"Honestly, I think everyone is just burnt out." Robin said. "This is taking a lot out of everyone, and it's only midterms." He then noticed his sister's face scrunch up in both deep thought and concern. "What's the matter, is studying getting to you too?"

"No, I was just thinking that every time I get one step ahead with Lon'qu, I soon after go two step backwards with him." She sighed. "He wasn't bad all at the festival, he was actually very pleasant..."

"Hmmm... I think you should just try to be nice to him. Eventually he should get over his shyness and relax around you. You should start by apologizing about what happened tonight."

"Okay fine..." Rose agreed with a yawn.

"Getting tired?"

"Kinda, I guess all that studying is getting to me too."

"Let's just head back to our dorms and get some rest."

"I'll see you tomorrow then."

"Alright, night."

* * *

><p>"Morning Rose."<p>

"Hey Chrom, you seem awfully chipper today." Rose smiled as Chrom greeted her as she entered homeroom.

"That's because I actually got a full night's sleep for the first time in a month." He grinned.

"Oh that's wonderful! I'm guessing that CD Robin burned for you worked? He told me about it at dinner yesterday.

"Yes! It was fantastic! The music was just amazing, and the vocalist has the voice of an angel. I actually have it on my MP3 player right now."

"Voice of an angel, eh? I gotta hear this." She chuckled as Chrom passed her an earbud. She closed her eyes and listened. This introduction riff sounded familiar. Wait... this was **her** voice!

"Pretty good huh?"

"Yeah... it's awesome." She said as she began to nervously tense up as her heart dropped.

"Her tone and pitch are so spot on. Not to mention that her voice is a powerhouse." Chrom commented.

"Hey Chrom, how was your attempt at sleep last night?" Robin asked as he entered homeroom.

"Great!" He answered. "The CD really helped."

"Dude, that's awesome, I'm glad." Robin grinned. "How are you doing squirt?"

"Okay I guess..." Rose mumbled nervously.

"We were just listening to CD you gave me on my MP3 player. The vocals are amazing."

"Vocals...?" Robin said as his face scrunched up into one of confusion. "The CD was suppose to be instrumentals only... Oh shit..."

"What's the matter?"

"N-nothing, I just... forgot something in the dorms haha..." Robin laughed nervously. "Hey, could I borrow you for a second Rose... you know, twin stuff."

"Yeah, let's talk." Rose stated bitterly, as she pulled Robin away from earshot. "You didn't tell me that you gave the album you made for your class to him!" She whispered.

"I didn't intend to! I accidentally gave him the wrong one!"

"Why weren't you more careful?!"

"Aw come on, it's not necessarily a bad thing. Look at how happy Chrom is. This is most energetic I've seen him since before Emm passed away. You made his mood soar with your voice."

"I guess your right..." Rose sighed.

"Plus, if you're really adamant about him not knowing, then we'll just credit the vocals to "Lorelei" like normal okay?"

"Okay..."

"Are you ever going to tell me why you're so paranoid about people finding out?"

"I just... let's just say I have a phobia okay? I won't go into specifics right now but that's what it basically is..."

"Alright, alright, I won't push the subject any further right now." Robin assured, and then the two walked back to where they were preciously talking to Chrom. "Sorry about that, what were you saying?"

"I was just wondering, who the vocalist and composer are?" Chrom asked.

"Oh well, I actually wrote all the songs, but the one who really made them come to life was the vocalist Lorelei."

"Lorelei..." He repeated excitedly with a smile on his face. "What does she look like? Does she go to this school because I don't think a Lorelei even goes to this school..."

"I'm not at liberty to say..." Robin started as he was interrupted by the bell. "Whelp, looks like class is starting, I'll talk to you later."

"Okay..." Chrom agreed reluctantly. What was this Lorelei girl like? What does she look like? Was she even at this school? Questions like this and more buzzed through Chrom's head as homeroom started. His heart began to yearn to meet this girl. Unfortunately, a lot of these questions wouldn't be answered for Chrom right away.


	19. Fun at the Arcade

Rose stretched her arms out as she got out of her seat. Finally, midterms were over!

"Sweet freedom at last!" Gaius cheered.

"Yeah man, and now we have a whole week off." Robin sighed in relief.

"Thank the gods!" Rose smiled.

"The question now is what are we going to do to celebrate?" Gaius asked.

"Hmmm... that's a good question." Robin wondered out loud.

"Cain and Abel's?" Gaius suggested with a grin.

"Oh yeah, it's been a while since we went there, good idea!" Robin agreed

"Cain and Abel's?" Rose asked curiously.

"Oh it's this sweet Arcade and restaurant in town, it's great, you'd love it!" Robin informed.

"That does sound pretty cool." Rose grinned.

"Then it's settled, we'll met up at the front of the school and head over there in a half hour." Robin declared.

"Sounds good to me. I'll go tell Blue and Giggles." Gaius said as he went over to the two to talk to them.

"Are you sure it's okay for me to come along?" Rose asked nervously.

"Why wouldn't it be?"

"Because you know... Lon'qu and all..."

"I told he just does that because he has a hard time with people, especially girls."

"Yeah but still..."

"Did you apologize to him for the other day yet?"

"No, I couldn't find the right time yet." She sighed.

"Maybe you could buy him a soda or something to make up for it and use that opportunity to say sorry?"

"Yeah, I'll try that."

"Don't look so nervous, it's not like he'll stab you or something."

"This is Lon'qu we're talking about." Rose gulped.

"Good point." He mumbled, as he looked at the expression of pure terror on his sister's face. "I was joking, I was joking!" He laughed as he ruffled her hair. "Lon'qu may seem like a lion, but he's actually a kitten when you break through his guard."

"I hope so..."

* * *

><p>The five of them entered the restaurant, which took up the first half of the building and the later half was the arcade.<p>

"Wow! This is so cool!" Rose squealed in excitement.

"Yeah, it's a pretty fun place." Chrom smiled.

"Look who's here, it's the four musketeers. Long time no see." A redhead greeted from behind the counter.

"Hey Cain, what's up?" Robin waved.

"Nothing much, same old, same old. Hold on, let me get Abel.

"Woah am I seeing things right? The four amigos here?" Abel gasped.

"Yeah this year so far had been awfully busy. We haven't have time to come here as often as we usually did in middle school and freshman year." Chrom informed.

"Well it's good to see that you four are still stuck together like glue." Cain chuckled. "Who's this young lady hiding behind you Robin?"

"This is Rose, my sister."

"Nice to meet you Rose as you may already know I'm Cain." He smiled.

"And I'm Abel." He grinned. "Hope you have good time here."

"Thanks." Rose nodded.

"What can we get for you guys? The usual?" Cain asked.

"Yeah that'd be great." Chrom agreed.

"Alright coming right up!" Abel grinned as he went back into the kitchen.

"What's the usual?" Rose asked.

"Just two of the best supreme pizza pies you've ever tasted!" Gaius exclaimed.

"Can't wait to try them then."

"For now, let's go play in the arcade until it's done." Robin said with excitement. The four then went to the back of the restaurant and was greeted by a wide variety of arcade machines.

"Woah…" Rose gasped in awe.

"Pretty sweet huh?" Chrom chuckled.

"Yeah!" Rose grinned.

"Well what are you waiting for? Have at it." Robin smirked as he gave his sister a light push.

Rose walked around to look at the different game selections in the arcade. They had all the classic games and even some more modern ones. Her eyes then settled onto one particular machine.

"Woah! Resident Eve 2!" Rose exclaimed as she walked up to the machine. She admired the artwork of the protagonists on the machine as she picked up one of the plastic guns used to shoot in the games. She then slid in a quarter to play.

"Need a player 2?" Chrom asked as he inserted a quarter into the machine.

"Yeah!" Rose smiled in childlike excitement at which Chrom couldn't help but smile himself.

"Fan of the series?" Chrom asked as the game started up and the introduction cutscene began to play. The story, which was a sequel to the cult classic Resident Eve, told of Leo F. Roosevelt, a police officer starting his first day on the force. However, it's interrupted by zombies due to a virus outbreak. He is joined by a civilian, named Clear, a tough as nails biker as they escape the city.

"Yep! Robin and I played it a few weeks ago on _Twins Play_. I've been hooked on it ever since. I didn't know there was an arcade version." Rose informed as the gameplay began. She played as Clear and Chrom played as Leo.

"Ah right, your web show. How's that going?"

"Pretty good, our viewership is growing steadily."

"Robin told me that you have a partnership with iVideo. How is that doing?"

"Pretty good, the money we make from views helps me buy necessities and such."

"That's great. Oh, watch out, there's one behind you." Chorm warned.

"I got it!"

"Nice headshot!"

"Thanks!"

"Man, you're pretty good."

"I've had a lot of practice."

Suddenly a zombie jumped out from around the corner of the police station they were currently trying to get into.

"Ahhh!" Rose jumped, taken off guard. Chrom swiftly aimed the plastic gun and skilled fully shot the on coming zombies. "Nice!"

"All in a day's work for Leo F. Roosevelt."

"Leo's pretty cute."

"Is that the type of guy you go for?" Chrom chuckled.

"Cool guys with a sense of dry humor are pretty attractive to me, yes." Rose laughed.

"Hmmm I see…"

"Clear is pretty cool too. Man I wish I was her, she's so badass!"

"Dream of being a biker chick eh? Didn't know you had a rebellious streak."

"I wish."

The two continued to talk causally and play the game until they ran out of lives. Rose noticed that Lon'qu had sat down at a table by himself and decided it was now or never.

"Thanks for playing with me Chrom, I think I'm going to sit for a bit."

"No problem, later." He waved.

She walked to the nearby vending machine and bought a sports drink and then sat across from Lon'qu.

"What do you want?" He sighed.

"I just wanted to say that I'm sorry about the other day."

"Are you?" He asked skeptically.

"Yes I am, truce?" Rose asked as she gave Lon'qu the sports drink.

He eyed it cautiously for a moment. "You didn't lace this with anything right?"

"Oh come on, it hasn't even been opened yet."

Lon'qu twisted the cap breaking it's seal; she was right. "How did you know this was my favorite drink?"

"Well, I know you're pretty serious about kendo and being healthy so no sodas or juices. Process of elimination I guess."

He took a drink from the bottle and then eyed Rose with caution.

"How do I know you're really sorry?"

"Come on Lon'qu, I'll do anything to prove that I'm sorry, okay?"

"Anything huh…" He said in deep thought. "Do ten jumping jacks."

"Fine no problem." She nodded as she did just that.

"Now jump on one foot."

Rose sighed as she did as she was told and hopped using only one foot for a minute or so.

"Rub your head and your stomach at the same time."

Out of breath, she followed his command, thinking about how absurd she must look. Wait, was Lon'qu snickering? "Okay now rub your head, stomach and your nose."

"Oh come on, I only have two arms, you know that's impossible!"

"Do you want forgiveness or not?"

She sighed as she did a split, as one hand rubbed her head and the other hand her stomach, while bowing her head as she tickled her nose with her foot. Lon'qu clapped at her feat.

"Amazing."

"Are we cool now? I literally bent over trying to please you." Rose sighed.

"Yes."

"Oh thank the gods!" She exclaimed as she sat back down.

"How are you so flexible?"

"I dance and I use to do gymnastics. Don't get any ideas because I'm not vaulting over anything." Rose sighed. Lon'qu then snickered reflecting on Rose's little stunt. "Oh I see how it is! This is all a game to you!"

"Maybe."

"You're unbelievable, I thought you were supposed to be the mature one of the group." Rose said with a roll of her eyes. "_Well he's laughing so that means he's opening up to me, so that's a plus._" Rose thought with a smile.

"What are you smiling about?"

"Oh nothing." She said quickly. "Why did you stop playing games with the others?"

"Tired."

"Why? Clubs and sports practices are cancelled for a week due to midterms."

"I went back home for a visit. Stayed up late playing with my little sister." He informed.

"I didn't know you had a little sister. How old is she?"

"Six. Her name is Ai'mee. She's the only female that I'm not nervous around." He informed, and was met with a small giggle from Rose. "What about that was amusing?"

"I was just thinking about how I'm learning all sorts of new things about you lately. It's pretty fun. I want to keep learning more about you until I can finally understand you Lon'qu." She smiled gently. A bit caught off guard, Lon'qu bashfully covered his face.

"Two supreme pizzas, hot out of the oven!" Abel announced as he approached the table they were sitting at and placed their order on the table. He then looked at the laughing Rose and the blushing Lon'qu. "Am I interrupting something?"

"Alright food's ready!" Gaius exclaimed as he, Chrom and Robin took seats at the table.

"Enjoy everyone!" Abel said as he went back into the kitchen.

"What were you doing earlier? You were doing jumping jacks and this crazy split…" Robin whispered as he took a seat next to his sister.

"It's a long story… I'll tell you later. Right now I'm starving."

"Yeah same, let's dig in." Robin agreed as they both took a slice of pizza. Rose took a bite of her's and was amazed at how great it was.

"This is amazing…"

"Glad you like it." Robin grinned.

"What are you guys going to be doing for the break?" Chrom asked.

"I've got nothing planned Blue." Gaius said.

"Same." Lon'qu answered.

"Us too." Rose nodded.

"We should do something fun together. Something really cool." Gaius thought out loud.

"Hmmmm… How about a road trip?" Robin suggested.

"A road trip? To where?" Chrom asked.

"We could just stay in this region. Nothing too big since we only have a week. We could go to the hot springs resort, or camping and hiking. I hear there's even a renaissance fair near the coast this coming week."

"Sounds great! Let's do it." Chrom grinned.

"Yeah that sounds good to me." Gaius agreed.

"Very well." Lon'qu nodded.

"We could take my car since it's the biggest." Robin added.

"You have a car?" Rose asked in awe.

"Ever since I got my license, yeah."

"The four of us could take turns driving." Chrom suggested. "Is it okay if Lissa comes? I'm sure she'll nag me to tag along."

"Of course." Robin nodded. "Let's meet up at my house at 8am."

"Alright! It's settled, road trip here we come!" Gaius cheered.

The five talked excitedly about Road trip plans as they continued to finished out the pizza. Robin and Rose ate one pie together in no time flat, which left Lon'qu, Chrom and Gaius to finish the other pie. They continued to play in the arcade for an hour or so, and then decided to leave.

"We're going to head home now." Robin announced.

"Home? You mean the dorms right?" Rose asked.

"No, home _home_... I mean our house."

"Oh right."

"I'm going to head home too." Chrom informed.

"I got some stuff to take care of at the dorm." Gaius said.

"What about you Lon'qu, heading home?" Chrom asked.

"Yes."

"That means your going the same way as us. Come on Lonny." Robin grinned as he pulled Lon'qu into a playful head lock.

"Unhand me at once." He commanded.

"I guess we'll see you guys tomorrow!" Rose waved as she followed behind Robin and a Lon'qu struggling to escape his grasp.

"Night Bubblena." Gaius waved.

"See you tomorrow Rose." Chrom smiled.

The sky swirled into a vivid mixes of blue, purple and orange as the sun started to lazily set. Robin had finally let Lon'qu go and the three were walking home at an easy going pace.

"Can you believe the semester is half way done already?" Robin sighed. "Soon we'll be seniors..."

"Don't get carried away, we still have quite a ways to go before the school year is done." Lon'qu warned.

"Yeah, you're right. It still doesn't change the fact that time is flying by." Robin smiled softly. "I still can't believe that it's been about two months since we met, Rose. Two months since my world has broadened."

"Broadened?" Rose asked.

"Mhmm, I always use to keep to myself, my head always in a book. Now things are more exciting, more lively. Dare I even say, I feel like I have more purpose." Robin grinned toward his sister.

Rose merely nodded in thought. Has it really only been two months since she and Robin were reunited? It felt like more. Never has she gotten to know someone so well in such a short amount of time. For her, since she met Robin, she has felt more secure, no more did she wake up with that dreadful feeling of uncertainty and unease that she felt for years before. Now she had a place where she belonged once more.

"What about you Lon'qu? Anything interesting happen to you since the school year started." Robin asked. Lon'qu looked up at the sky in thought. Suddenly an image from the school festival flashed through his mind, and an image of Rose kissing him on the check entered his thoughts. He quickly covered his face in embarrassment.

"Oh my gods, Lon'qu were you thinking about someone?" Robin grinned mischievously.

"N-no!" He quickly answered.

"Yes you are! I know you long enough to know that you only get embarrassed and blush like that when it's something about a girl. Spill the beans, who is it?" Robin laughed as he once again playfully pulled Lon'qu into a headlock. Rose merely watched the two and giggled.

"S-stop laughing!" Lon'qu snapped when he finally wiggled free from Robin's headlock.

"I'm sorry, I was just thinking about how you two are such good friends." Rose smiled. "It kind of reminds me of when Say'ri and I use to tease each other when we were little."

"Oh yeah, sometimes I forget that you use to live in Chon'sin." Robin said. "Wait, you're from Chon'sin too aren't you Lon'qu?"

"Yes. My father and I use to live in the slums before he came into money."

"I use to live in the slums too with my mother. I'm not of Chon'sin blood, but she partly was." Rose started. "My favorite place was the sunflower field. During the spring and summer I would always play in it with the other kids."

"The sunflower field on the hill before the river?" Lon'qu asked.

"Yes! That's the one! Wow, maybe we lived in the same area?"

"Perhaps."

"Maybe we met before and didn't even know it, huh Lon'qu?"

Lon'qu merely walked in silence, now looking at the deep night sky.

"Is Lon'qu okay...?" Rose asked with concern.

"Lon'qu doesn't really like to talk about his life before he moved here. Something happened with his friend, and that's all I really know." Robin whispered to Rose, as she nodded in understanding.

The three continued to chat idly until they reached the front of Robin's house.

"We're here!" Robin cheered as Rose looked up upon the massive house.

"Woah..." Rose said in awe.

"Oh yeah, this is your first time here." Robin laughed.

"Wait where do you live Lon'qu?" Rose asked.

Lon'qu merely looked at Rose and Robin as he walked a few yards, opened the fence door and closed it.

"Woah! I didn't know you two were next door neighbors!" Rose exclaimed.

"Really? I thought I mentioned that to you..." Robin murmured with a stroke of his chin.

"Maybe you did and I just forgot..." Rose laughed sheepishly.

"Loooooonny hunny!" A feminine voice called out.

The three turned to see a cheerful, cutesy, petite freckled redhead waving at the door.

"Hello mother..." Lon'qu muttered.

"Hi Ms. Féng!" Robin waved, and whispered to Rose, "She's Lon'qu's step-mother."

"Ohhhh..."

"Hi Robin!" She smiled, and then looked at the shyly waving Rose and then gasped."Who's that girl over there?"

"No one mother..."

Her face then lit up in excitement. "Is she your girlfriend?!"

"Mother no!" Lon'qu answered defensively.

"Don't be shy hunny, you don't need to hid your girlfriend." She grinned happily.

"Mother she's just-"

"What's your name sweetie?" Ms. Féng asked eagerly.

"Oh it's Rose. Nice to meet you Ms. Féng."

"Rose, what a pretty name. Please take good care of Lon'qu. He's shy at first but he'll warm up to you." She smiled.

"Mother!" Lon'qu exclaimed in embarrassment as he began to push her inside the house.

"Nice meeting you Rose. Bye Robin."

"Bye Ms. Féng." Robin and Rose waved.

"So that was Lon'qu's step-mother?" Rose asked.

"Yeah, she's a bit enthusiastic but she means well." Robin said. "She worries about Lon'qu's gynophobia and that he'll end up alone, so she pushes him to be more social. She's been trying to set him up with girls and even guys but with no avail."

"Damn. That's one determined lady."

"I can kind of see where she's coming from. You marry into this new family, and your new step-son is terrified of you and other women and on top of all that he doesn't warm up to new people so well. She probably worries about him a lot."

"Hmmm, yeah it must be tough."

"Anyway, we should get into the house and pack for tomorrow."

"Yeah, it's kinda chilly out here."

"Come on, I'll make you some hot cocoa."

"Yay!" Rose cheered as the two entered the house and promptly closed the door.


	20. Windfall

_**Author's Note:** Hey everyone, sorry for the lack of updates this past month. It's my last year of college and I've been swamped with finals and such so I really had to focus on those. It's winter vacation now, so I can focus more on updating and writing up more chapters. Thank you for being so patient and supportive. Please enjoy the chapter! _

* * *

><p>"…Rose, Rose wake up!"<p>

"Huh…? Morgan? What time is it?" Rose asked as she sleepily rubbed her eyes.

"Oh it's noon, everyone left for the road trip without you."

"What?! No…!"

"Now you can spend the week with me!" Morgan laughed.

"No offense Morgan, I would love to spend time with you but I was really looking forward to this trip…"

"Hey, hey! Don't look so glum! I was just kidding! It's only 7 am."

"Morgan!" Rose snapped as she lightly jabbed him in the stomach.

"Ow! I'm sorry Sis, I just couldn't resist." He laughed. "Robin told me to wake you up. You have everything packed right?"

"Yeah, I took care of that last night."

"Okay, I'll leave you to get ready then. I'm going to watch TV." Morgan waved as he rushed downstairs to watch Saturday morning cartoons.

Rose sighed at the ever playful Morgan. He nearly gave her a heart attack. She got up and showered and rummaged through the closet. She found a rather oversized sweater, a pleated skirt and some leggings and decided to put that on. She looked at the time… 7:23, she still had time before they would leave. She decided to grab some breakfast, nothing too fancy just a bowl of cereal. She then joined Morgan on the couch.

"Hi big sis!" Morgan smiled as he was curled up in a big blanket.

"Hey Morgan." Rose greeted as she started to eat her cereal. Morgan watched her with a smile and then decided to curl up closer to Rose and lean his head on her shoulder. "Hey don't play innocent after that trick you played on me." She scolded. Morgan merely snuggled Rose's shoulder and she sighed contently in response.

The two sat there for ten minutes until Rose finished her breakfast. "Alright, I gotta say goodbye to Morgana and check on Robin."

"Awww but I was just getting comfy." Morgan pouted. Rose merely laughed and ruffled his hair.

"Don't worry I'll be back in a week so you can use me as your pillow again."

"Ooookaaaay." Morgan agreed reluctantly. Rose then rushed upstairs to Morgana's room to find her still fast asleep.

"Morgana, I'm about to leave." She whispered as she peeked into her room, but got no response. Rose merely smiled as she gently closed the door. She then went into her room and grabbed her bags and hurried downstairs and out the front door.

"Morning!" Rose greeted as she saw Robin outside prepping his car.

"Hey, ready to go? We're just waiting for Chrom, Lissa and Gaius to get here."

"Where's Lon'qu?"

As if on cue, Lon'qu dragged his step mother by arm out of the house. "Mother, don't you have something to say?"

"I'm sorry I got the wrong idea about you and Lon'qu yesterday..." She apologized sadly.

"Oh, it's okay, it's not a big deal." Rose chuckled.

"Good." Lon'qu nodded as he picked up his bags and started to load them into the trunk of the car.

"It's just that I've never seen him so relaxed around a girl before." Ms. Féng whispered once her step son was out of earshot.

"Oh no, I don't think so, we're barely even friends… If I can even call it that…" Rose informed sheepishly.

"Well, he told me about you and Robin and to think he's already this comfortable around you after only 2 months of meeting. It took years for him to relax around me. I think you two have something special."

"Haha…thanks?" Rose thanked unsurely.

"I know it may not seem like it, but he's warming up to you." She smiled as she lightly patted her back. Rose merely nodded, still unsure. "Have fun okay?"

"Okay, thank you Ms. Féng." Rose smiled.

"Where's Lonny going?" A young freckled girl with auburn hair suddenly appeared at the door dragging a long a blanket.

"He's going on a trip with his friends dear." Ms. Féng answered.

"B-but Lonny you just got back home from school…" She whimpered, tears wielding up in her eyes.

Lon'qu jumped the fence back to his family's yard and went up to the young child. "Never you worry Ai'mee, I'll be back in a week and I promise to play with you as soon as I get back." He assured with a slight ruffle of her hair.

"Okay…"

"No tears."

"Okay no tears." She nodded, as she puffed out her chest bravely.

"Good girl."

"Who knew he was good with kids…" Rose whispered to Robin.

"Yeah, he wasn't always though, only when Ai'mee was born did he start to soften up a bit.

Lon'qu gave his little sister one last hug. "Get back inside before you catch a cold okay?"

"Okay, I love you Lonny!" She smiled as she scurried back inside.

"I love you too…" A hint of a smile could be seen on his face. Rose was surprised at how gentle he was.

"WE'REEEEEE HEEEEEEERE!" Lissa shouted cheerfully as she opened the front gate. Chrom and Gaius following behind her. "Hey Robby, hi Rosy!"

"Morning Lissa!" The twins greeted together.

"Morning everyone." Chrom waved. "Is everyone ready to head out?"

"Hold on let me just get my stash in check." Gaius said as he checked the book bag on his back.

"His stash…?" Rose asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Probably his sweets." Chrom informed.

"Oh, typical Gaius…" Rose sighed.

"Ay, ay ay… gotta make sure I'm prepared with the necessities. It's the first rule of a road trip!" Gaius grinned.

"Oh brother…" Lissa sighed with a roll of here eyes.

"Let's just load our stuff in the car Lissa." Chrom said as he took her bags and began to put them in the trunk.

"Thanks." Lissa nodded.

"Lissa, what's with all this stuff?" Chrom asked as he struggled to put her bag in the trunk.

"Oh, it's just our costumes for the renaissance fair that me and Gaius whipped up."

"Why in Naga's name is it so heavy?"

"It may have a few armor parts in it." Lissa whistled innocently.

"Lissa…" Chrom sighed as he finally managed to close the trunk.

"Everyone set?" Robin asked as he got into the driver's seat. Lon'qu sat in the passenger seat in the front of the car, Gaius and Lissa sat in the middle seats and Chrom and Rose sat in the back.

"We're good to go Captain Bubbles." Gaius informed with a thumbs up.

"Alright let's go!" Robin exclaimed with a grin as he started the car as it roared to life and swiftly drove out of the driveway. Rose peered out of the window taking in all the sights. She hadn't got a chance to see all the sights of Ylisse since she first arrived.

"Excited?" Chrom asked.

"Yep! This is my first road trip ever." Rose answered with excitement.

"Haha, well we have to make it the best one yet." Chrom smiled.

"What's our first destination Captain Bubbles?" Gaius questioned.

"We're heading to the hot springs resort. We should be there in a few hours unless we decide to stop somewhere interesting along the way." Robin informed.

"Sweet!" Gaius exclaimed as he reached into his bag to get a lollipop.

"Hey, don't eat too many of those, you're next for driving duty and we can't have you doing it on a sugar high." Robin forewarned.

"Aye aye, Captain Bubbles!" Gaius agreed with a salute.

"Take a turn at this exit." Lon'qu informed looking down at the GPS he was holding.

"Thank you first mate." Robin nodded.

"You mean first mate Giggles!" Gaius corrected.

"Right, my bad." Robin nodded.

"Ugh your using those dorky ship names too?" Lissa asked as she sticked her tongue out in disgust.

"Excuse you Princess! They are not dorky." Gaius exclaimed.

"Whatever." Lissa said with a roll of her eyes.

"Wanna play?" Chrom asked as he brought our a deck of cards.

"Oh sure!" Rose smiled as he began to shuffle the deck. "How do you do that?"

"Do what?"

"Shuffle the cards like that?"

"Oh this is called the bridge. It's easy, Marth taught me when I was a kid."

"It's really neat!"

Chrom smiled shyly. He took one card and crumpled it up. Then opened his hand and it was gone.

"Woah!"

"Check your pocket."

Rose curiously reached into her sweater pocket and inside she found the same card that Chrom previously crumpled into thin air.

"Wow! That's amazing! How did you do that?!"

Chrom merely smirked. "A magician never reveals his secrets."

Rose happily giggled and clapped. "Do you know anymore magic tricks?"

"A few." He grinned. "Would you like to see them?"

"Yes please!" Rose nodded.

Robin looked up at his one rear view mirrors for a quick moment to see Chrom entertaining his sister with various tricks and smiled. He was glad that Rose was having fun with his best friend.

"Hey! Can I have some Candy too?" Lissa asked as she watched Gaius scarf down a chocolate or two.

"Yeah, sure, no problem Princess. I'm happy to spread the love around." He said as he opened up his backpack to Lissa.

"Yaaaay!" Lissa cheered as she grabbed a handful of treats.

"Hey, you two better not leave any wrappers." Robin warned.

"Yeah, yeah, we'll keep it clean." Lissa agreed.

Rose then suddenly yawned lazily.

"Tired?" Chrom asked.

"A little..." Rose nodded

"I know that we had to get up early to start this trip, it's okay if you take a nap. We can play cards later."

"Okay..." Rose yawned as she closed her eyes and quickly fell asleep.

* * *

><p>"We should probably stop for gas soon." Robin said after 2 hours of driving.<p>

"There's a rest stop at the upcoming exit." Lon'qu informed.

"Let's stop for a break then." Robin nodded as he began to turn into the nearing highway exit and pulled into a gas station.

"Alright! Time to stock up on snacks!" Lissa cheered as she jumped playfully out of the car once Robin parked.

"I hear ya Princess!" Gaius agreed, as he followed her.

"Lon'qu, follow them and make sure they don't reek havoc please?" Robin sighed, as Lon'qu silently nodded and got out of the car. "Rose, I thought you would jump at the chance for snacks like Gaius and Lissa..." Robin started and then turned to see a his sister sleeping soundly, resting her head on Chrom's shoulder. "I guess you're her personal travel pillow now." He whispered.

"I suppose so." Chrom chuckled. "I'm afraid that if I move I'll wake her."

"Do you want me to get you anything?" Robin asked.

"A soda would be much appreciated."

"Alright, I'll be right back." Robin nodded as he got out of the car and joined the other three in the mini-mart.

Chrom sighed contently as he sat back in the seat of the car in silence. He turned to see Rose breathing softly as she slept and he smiled gently. "_She's cute even when she's sleeping_..." He thought as he brushed a lock of her hair out of her face. Suddenly Rose shifted in her sleep and snuggled up closer to Chrom, nuzzling him slightly. He squirmed a bit nervously in response, as his cheeks began to blush a deep red. He gazed upon her again and took in the features of her face; her long eyelashes, rosy cheeks, and soft lips. Oh how his eyes lingered on her lips... until without thinking, Chrom slowly began to close the distance between the two of them. His heart began to race at the realization of what he was about to do and pulled back. "_What am I thinking?! Me kissing Rose..." _Chrom sighed once more this time in anxiety, it was a pleasant thought for him none the less. He looked at her with longing, and settled for a quick peck on the cheek, and sat with his sleeping crush in silence.

* * *

><p>"Are you serious Gaius?" Lon'qu sighed as he looked upon the stacks of cakes, and other junk food he held in his arms as Robin entered the rest stop.<p>

"Serious as can be Giggles. When am I not serious?" Gaius questioned.

"The question is when are you serious about something that isn't sweets?" Robin chimed in.

"Oh hey, Bubbles. Nice of you to join us. Where's Blue?"

"He's out in the car with Rose. She decided to use him as her travel pillow, and he didn't want to wake her up." Robin informed as he grabbed a few things in the store. "Where's Lissa?"

"Over hereeee!" She waved in another aisle holding a rather giant slushie.

"Lissa, are you sure you can drink all of that? That slush is better than your head..." Robin asked skeptically.

"Psssshaw! This is nothing, don't worry about me Robin." Lissa reassured.

Robin merely sighed as he began to pay for his items and gas. "Just don't take forever in here, okay you two?"

"Roger Captain!" Gaius saluted.

"Okie dokie!" Lissa nodded.

"Lon'qu, you know what to do if they get out of line."

"Stab them." Lon'qu answered.

"I hope that was a joke."

"I never joke Robin." Lon'qu stated blankly.

"I was afraid you were going to say that..." Robin sighed as he opened the door and excited the rest stop. He then pumped the gas into the car tank, and took a seat in the back. "Yo Chrom, she still dead as a log?" Robin asked as he passed him a bottle of soda.

"Yeah, I don't think she'll be waking up anytime soon..." Chrom nodded. "Thanks."

"Your face is a bit red, are you coming down with something?"

"Uh, n-no! I'm fine, don't worry about me." He chuckled nervously.

"Alright if you say so."

"Yo Bubbles, why aren't you in the driver's seat?" Gaius asked as he, Lissa and Lon'qu returned from the rest stop.

"Because it's your turn to drive." He informed.

"I'm Captain?" Gaius asked hopefully.

"Yeah, I need a break." Robin nodded.

"Yes!" Gaius grinned as he leaped into the driver's seat and started the car. "Attention all passengers, this is your captain speaking... your emergency exits are on your left and right sides. Please keep all hands and feet inside the vehicle at all times. Thank you and have a nice ride."

"Just get on with it." Lon'qu sneered from the back seat. Lissa had taken his place in the passenger seat in the front.

"Alright, Gaius' party bus is a go!" Gaius exclaimed as he put on a pair of sunglasses, started the car and quickly got back on the highway.

"Yo Princess, put on some tunes."

"Gotcha!" Lissa nodded as she took Gaius' MP3 player and connected it to the speakers of the car. She then began to shuffle through the songs. "Oooooh, I love this song!" Lissa cheered as the upbeat pop song began to play.

"Gaius why do you have girly pop songs on your MP3 player?" Robin asked skeptically.

"The question is why wouldn't I? Christina Flagella has the voice of an angel." Gaius answered happily.

"Uhuh…." Was all Robin could muster in bewilderment. Then to everyone's displeasure Gaius began to sing along to the song. Everyone covered their ears in pain.

"Holy Naga, who let a dying cat in here?" Rose yawned, awoken by Gaius' tone deaf singing.

"Way to go, you woke her up Christina." Robin chided.

"It's okay, I think that I overdid the nap and needed to be woken up. Not my ideal alarm clock though." Rose said as she stretched. "Sorry for crashing on you like that Chrom."

"Don't worry about it." He reassured.

"Okay new rule, Gaius isn't allowed to sing." Robin sighed. "Stick to drumming."

"Can I lip sing?"

"As long as no more of that gods awful voice comes out, then yes." Robin agreed as another song began to play.

"Okay, I actually like this song." Robin sighed in relief as Gaius began to drum the beat of the song on the side of the steering wheel.

"_You've got me under your spell, that much I can tell... and I can't help but to notice that way you look at me, and it drives me craaaazy._" Chrom began to sing along smoothly to the song. Rose was amazed at how silky and charming his voice was; and to much to her surprise Robin began to sing along as well and harmonize with Chrom. Their voices were a perfect fit for each other, much like their friendship. When the song finished Rose eagerly clapped for her brother's and Chrom's spectacular performance.

"Why are you clapping?" Robin asked bashfully.

"You two are pretty good together." She smiled.

"Your such a dork." Robin said playfully. "Here I got you something at the rest stop we were at while you were snoozing."

"Oh thank you." She said as she took the drink and food from her brother and happily began to munch on the sandwich.

"We should almost be at the resort soon. Just hang tight until we get there okay?"

Rose nodded and the five continued to entertain each other on the long car ride.


End file.
